


Interventions

by Thatswherethelightgetsin



Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Genre: Complete, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-23
Updated: 2013-01-23
Packaged: 2017-11-26 14:59:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/651585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatswherethelightgetsin/pseuds/Thatswherethelightgetsin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor is taken from inside the middle of the Hub. When he wakes up he finds he's not entirely alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Rating:** Let’s say R to be safe, but might be PG-13

 **Warnings:** None really. No spoilers for season 2 of TW, either.

 **Disclaimer:** I own none of these characters, they belong to Russel T and the beeb.

 

 

The Doctor’s head hurt. His… everything hurt. Then there was blackness.

Bright light and more pain, followed by blessed darkness. 

Shouting and screaming. Was that Jack? Martha? No, not Martha, a Welsh accent, shouting and shouting. Lots of voices all coming together so loud that they melted into one and became incomprehensible. Then there was nothing at all.

The Doctor’s head hurt. He kept his eyes closed and focused on that for a moment. What type of hurt was it? A good blow to the head, perhaps? Yes. That’d do it. Hit over the head with something blunt and heavy. Not the first time, almost certainly not the last. 

But that wasn’t all. There was something else, now. A slow throbbing that had to be more than that. A slow rhythm building in the distance and vibrating so hard that his whole mind seemed to shake with it. Then there was fire, his whole body ablaze. This was when he started to scream. He didn’t stop for a very long time, not until the blackness took him again. 

Silence now. Apart from that slow building of something in the back of his head. It hurt. More this time. There was light, but he didn’t open his eyes. The fire was still consuming him, but more manageable now. He didn’t scream. He held it back as best he could. 

Where was he? 

“He’s awake.” The voice was above his head and a little behind him. 

The Doctor was lying down… No, not lying, but strapped down. He tried to test the bounds and found he couldn't move. Not just the restraints. Panic began to form somewhere in the back of his mind. He couldn’t move, not his legs, his arms, his head. He tried to wriggle a toe. Nothing. Panic was rising before he felt the smallest of scratches on his arm and there was nothing.

Lots of pain, before he passed out. 

The Doctor’s head hurt. 

There was cold hardness beneath him. His head was slow, like he was swimming through fog to reach any thoughts. He was on a floor, a stone - possibly concrete - floor. He slowly tried to move a toe, found he could wriggle it. He slowly let out a breath.

Where was he? 

No, he was getting ahead of himself. Where had he been? Jack. There was Jack, grinning and excitedly talking about a hub. 

But Jack had left him. 

No. The Doctor had stopped by for a visit. Having gotten a call from Jack, saying that there was some news or other that he might be interested in. 

Lucy Saxon was dead. That was it. 

Jack and his team had found her body. Something about the way she had been found… No finger. That was it. 

But what did that have to do with his head hurting and being on the floor? There had been screaming, he remembered that. Just his own, or someone else’s? 

Both he thought. 

He couldn’t think. The stupid throbbing in his head was ridiculously distracting. Too rhythmic and fast to not concentrate on. And oddly… familiar. Then he realised he wasn’t alone. 

There was something in his mind. A big, black, something lurking silently darkness. Trying not to panic, he slowly opened his eyes. 

A grey ceiling emerged from the darkness, perfectly flat and smooth. Normal looking, which was something of a relief. He ran his hands over the floor and found it to be equally smooth. Then, he sat up. His head swum violently, and everything went a little blurry at the edges. Carefully, he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before opening them again. He confirmed what he already knew. He was in a cell. A standard-issue cell. All grey walls and cold efficiency. Rude, really, that they’d dumped him on the floor, when every standard issue cell came complete with a bunk. He looked round for one, and felt the blood from his face drain. 

No. It wasn’t possible. It was terribly, beautifully impossible. 

And he knew. He knew why he remembered the pounding rhythm in his head. 

******

One minute the Doctor and been babbling excitedly about imorphic energy, then he was gone. No puff of smoke, blue beam, or sparkling light. Just there one moment and gone the next. Then there was a huge ‘bang’ which had rocked the hub. Ianto and Owen, who had been standing right next to the Doctor looking amused and vaguely pissed-off respectively, had been thrown backwards. Seeing them hurtling back like that had felt like dying. Jack’s stomach had turned over, and he’d gone cold. He couldn’t move until Gwen and Tosh had rushed forward towards the bodies. 

“They’re just knocked out, I think,” Tosh had said softly after a moment. Not bodies. Still Owen and Ianto. 

Which was when time had started moving properly again. Sped up and Jack could feel. Not dead. He was still staring blankly, though, when Gwen had looked at him. “What was that?” 

Jack shook his head. “Tosh,” he’d barked, “why don’t you try and answer that. And while you’re at, figure out where the hell the Doctor is.”

He’d helped Gwen move Ianto and Owen to the sofa’s and settle them before running back to Tosh. But she had no answers for him. 

“But he can’t be nowhere!” Jack bellowed, scanning Tosh’s readouts for himself.

“He’s not on any of my scans, and I’ve extended them as far as I can.” Even as she said it Tosh was trying to stretch out the power a little further, draining the hub a little more. She’d cause a lockdown soon, if she weren’t careful.

Jack ran a hand over his face. Attempting to calm down. “But he didn’t teleport, either. That would have left some sort of trace, as would using the Rift.”

Tosh didn’t bother agreeing, just concentrated on the readouts, a little worried frown forming above her glasses. 

Jack sighed again and looked around the Hub. Gwen was kneeling between Owen and Ianto. Jack blinked and looked away. One problem at a time. “What about the explosion, was that a by-product of what happened to the doctor?”

Tosh shook her head. “No, that was a sort of ignition of rift particles. And it started a second after the Doctor had disappeared.”

“Not much chance it was an unrelated coincidence,” Jack said grimly. “It was either meant to slow us down or distract us long enough for a clean get away.” 

“In which case, they might still be close by,” Gwen said.

“Have you scanned the Hub?” Jack asked.

Tosh looked almost annoyed for a moment. “That’s the first thing I did. Whatever caused the explosion knocked out our sensors for a couple of seconds.” 

“Do you think that was the aim?” Gwen asked.

“Maybe,” Jack said. “I don’t know what the point would have been in not letting us have sensors _after_ the Doctor had been taken.”

“You think he was taken, then?” Gwen walked towards Jack, folding her arms across her chest.

“He was mid-sentence. I think we can rule out that he decided to have a breath of fresh-air.” Jack sighed. “He might be prone to leaving in a hurry, but not that much of a hurry.”

“Then I guess the question is, who took him and why.” Tosh said softly, possibly more to herself, than to Jack and Gwen. 

“One of the many,” Jack agreed.

*****

“It seems unfair,” the Master said as his eyes fluttered open, “that your face should be the last and then the first thing I have to endure.”

The Doctor’s face split into a huge grin. “It’s you! You’re alive! Actually alive, and breathing, I can hear your hearts beating. And look! There you go! Breathing in! And there! Out again! Brilliant. Fantastic! Look at those lungs work!”

The Master was slowly pushing himself into a sitting position. “I think I may have to resort to suicide again, if this is what you’re planning to do every time I draw breath.”

“Oh!” The Doctor was ginning more broadly than ever now. “But it wasn’t suicide, was it? You had a plan! I knew no little bullet was going to finish off the second to last Time Lord!”

The Master’s lip curled into a sneer. “You snivelling and weeping over my poor, dying body suggests otherwise.”

The Doctor simply waved his hand dismissively. The pounding didn’t seem to be stopping. If anything it was getting louder. He shook his head again. “I’m assuming,” he gestured around the cell, “that something in your plans have gone wrong?”

The Master glared at him for a moment. “Obviously.” 

“There you go! Being all snippy! I've missed that.” The Doctor stood, stumbled and reached out to steady himself. Unfortunately, the only available thing was the Master, who roughly pushed the Doctor away. He ended up sprawled on the floor, his head pounding harder than ever. He gasped at the sudden pain, and the sound was mirrored by the Master. 

“That hurt!” They looked at each other, their mouths falling open. 

“Oh no.” They spoke in unison for the second time. 

“Stop it!” They said together. “No, you stop it!” 

They both closed their mouths sharply. Opened them at the same time. Closed them. The Doctor held up his hand, and silently gestured for the Master to speak. The darkness in the back of his mind that he’d noticed upon waking up was unfurling into glorious Technicolor.

“This cannot be happening,” the Master said after a moment’s pause. The Doctor would have guessed that this pause was to allow for a moment to decide whether to respond to an order given by him, even if he hadn’t heard the thoughts form somewhere in the back of his mind. “But why?”

“I assumed that it was because it was necessary to bring you back,” the Doctor said.

While the Master’s glare would have made anyone else want to curl up and die, the Doctor’s hearts were pounding so fast he didn’t really notice it. 

“You think that I’d work out an intricate way to escape you, cause my own death, and then have _you_ as the essential component to my rebirth?” The Doctor knew the Master longed to stand and sweep from the room. He also knew that he was too weak. And that there was no way to sweep from this room.

“You’ve done far more stupid things,” the Doctor said, a goofy grin tugging at his mouth. In a bid to forestall an argument, or possibly, given their weakened states, the world’s most pathetic fist-fight, he continued, “So! What now?” He jumped up, ignored the way his head span and patted himself down. “No sonic screwdriver of course. Hmmm,” he looked at the walls, “now, let’s have a look…” He walked up to the smooth surface and ran his fingers gently along it. He paused for a second when the pounding in his head swelled. He closed his eyes as he tried to silence it.

“That won’t work,” the Master said. He sounded a little amused. “They’ll always be there now. What’s mine is yours and all that. Nowhere to hide now.” 

“For now,” the Doctor agreed, opened his eyes and continued to examine the wall. “Any idea who this could be? Tell anyone about your plans?”

“Perhaps,” the Master sighed. “The technology isn’t Gallifreyan. I… acquired it.”

“The ring?” There were no joining gaps, not even for a door. Almost like the walls had been built around them with no intention of anyone coming in or out. Interesting.

“You worked it out? Or did someone tell?” The Master sounded bored. “Well, I suppose that’s what you get for trusting humans. I should have guessed that Lucy would tell someone.”

The Doctor paused and turned around slowly. “Lucy's dead.” His voice was soft and sounded much more tired than he had a moment before. “I’m sorry.”

There was a moment where the Master blinked a few times taking in the new information. “That’s the best news I’ve had all day.”

The Doctor’s jaw tensed. “You destroyed her mind and now she’s dead.”

The Master smiled. “Yes, and what a mind! What fun to slowly unravel it! Besides, she did kill me.” 

“On your orders.” The Doctor stared at him for a long moment. No hint of a smile on his face now.

“Actually, no. I’d never have thought her capable. I had other arrangements in place.”

“You always underestimated them.” The Doctor turned back to the wall. 

The Master lay back down on the bed. “So, when can we expect the grand rescue?” 

“Grand rescue?” Why would there be no way in? No way out, well, that was obvious, but no way in?

“Yes, you know, Martha and Jack swooping in to save you. She may not be the brightest, but she gets the job done, does Martha. If you don’t mind living in a birdcage for a year while you wait, of course.”

The Doctor tried not the feel the rejection but it was too late. Suddenly he could feel a warm bubble of pleasure pulse through the newly opened sapce in his mind. “Oh, she left you, did she?” There was a pause. “And the freak too? My, my, all alone again are we? How sad.” 

The mocking wouldn’t have felt so bad if he couldn’t feel the genuine pleasure at his pain. He sighed and shrugged it off. “They had their own lives to lead. Besides, I work better alone.”

The Master laughed smugly. “You can’t lie to me, my dear Doctor. Not any more.” 

“So, another one of your plans failed.” The Doctor knew he shouldn’t rise to the bait; but the drumming was so distracting and feeling two sets of emotions was bewildering and they were stuck, and he’d been left by everyone and the Master _knew_. He looked at the Master over his shoulder. “Excellent work as usual.”

The words had the desired reaction and the smile vanished from the Master’s face. “I had everyone who knew anything about my plan killed.”

“Clearly you didn’t,” the Doctor pointed out as he turned back to the walls.

“I did,” the Master hissed through clenched teeth. “Only, Doctor, the timing was somewhat unfortunate.”

“Ah.” The Doctor hung his head for a moment. “The year that never was.”

“Yes,” the Master agreed. “So, actually, this is all your fault.”

“Always is.” There was silence for a moment. Although, there wasn’t of course. There’d never be silence again. The Doctor could feel the Master, hear every thought as they rushed round his head, colliding with thoughts of his own. 

And the drumming. He’d never imagined what it would be like. He'd always thought maybe they were a metaphor of some sort. Not real, pounding, drums. On and on forever. No wonder the Master was insane. 

“No wonder, indeed,” the Master said. He tried to sit up again, and fell back, his hands going to his head. 

The Doctor hissed in sudden, sharp, pain as it lanced through his mind.

Images, emotions, memories flooded into the Doctor’s mind. The Valliant, Daleks, war, screaming, dying, laughing. More and more, making the Doctor’s head spin, his stomach turn and his legs want to give way under him.

“Can’t you stop it?” the Master hissed. He tried, successfully this time, to sit up, shook his head, and managed after several false-starts to stand up.

“How?” He hissed in pain. “This can’t be right, this can’t be how it’s meant to happen.”

“Argh,” the Master staggered closer to the Doctor, standing just in front of him. “That’s disgusting. Your thoughts, all your tiny, little thoughts in my head. Get out!”

“I’m not doing anything!” The Doctor nearly reached out to the Master, but stopped himself. “I’m trying!” Which was true; every barrier he tried to erect in his mind was swept away in the oncoming flood of thoughts.

All those things that the Doctor had known the Master had done, but somehow tried not to think about. All the death, the destruction, the pleasure of it.

Suddenly the Master was laughing grimly. “Is that really it? Really what you thought might happen if I hadn’t have died?” the Master was glaring furiously at him. “Did you really think I could bear to spend the rest of my existence with you? You’re pathetic, crawling and begging for anyone _anything_ to stay with you. Your desperation to not be alone is disgusting.”

As the horror of having someone in his mind sunk in the Doctor staggered back. The Master was in his mind. All his thoughts and feelings that he’d never, _never_ dared tell anyone had been ripped out and were on display. And the Master was laughing at him. 

The pounding in the Doctor’s head drove him forward and he ran at the Master, grabbed his collar and pinned him to a wall. He couldn’t speak, his hearts were beating too fast. He could feel everything, the feel of the Master, another Time Lord, pressed against him, but the wall that the Master was pressed against too. It was too much.

“The drums getting to you already, Doctor?” the Master panted, he looked like he was in pain, but he was snarling even as he clenched his teeth together. “It’s only been a couple of minutes, imagine what you’d do after hundreds of years! The things you would have done. Although,” he grinned, “nothing compared to the genocide of your own people, I guess. Just maybe you could have admitted that you _enjoyed_ it.” 

He shoved hard at the Doctor and they lost their footing and tumbled backwards to the floor. The Doctor’s head bounced off the stone and his gasp of pain was mirrored by the Master. Anger, pain and the feel of having someone this close, and the drums, they were pounding so loud now, bouncing back and forth between them, on and on. 

“Shut up!” the Doctor hissed.

“Make me,” the Master growled. 

Who actually closed the gap between them, he never knew, but their lips were suddenly pressed together. It was rough and punishing, but the Doctor, for just a second, allowed himself to have this. Closed his eyes and tried to press the feeling, the whole moment of weakness into his memory. 

This one moment. 

Then he rolled them over and pulled away and tried to stand up. But, stumbled back a little. He looked down at the other Time Lord. The Master seemed pale, and sweat had formed across his brow.

“Master.” The Doctor tired to go to him, but staggered and fell to his knees. His hands pressed firmly to his own head. 

It was just too much. The sudden invasion of his head, was too much. Time Lords spent months training for entrenchment. It was designed only for those who knew each other intimately. 

Never for enemies. 

Especially when one of them was recently dead and insane. And when both were genii who thought so fast they could barely keep up with themselves. 

All of this occurred to the Doctor and the Master at the same time and they both heard the thoughts echoed by the other. 

The Doctor, panting with the effort of it, tried to shut some of his thoughts out.

_Why hadn’t this happened as soon as the Master woke up? My mind wasn’t focused clearly enough. He was still rebuilding himself, that part of the brain hadn’t been working. I love it when he says my name. I hate seeing him hurt like this. All alone. Not alone ever again._

The Doctor had no idea whose thoughts were whose. But his head felt like it was going to split right open.

The darkness as it rushed up to meet him seemed like a blessing.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Ianto opened his eyes. Jack was smiling down at him, which was nice. Owen was swearing loudly somewhere to his left, which wasn’t. “What happened?”

“Thought you’d managed to get yourself killed for a moment there.” Jack’s tone was a little scolding, but mostly relieved. 

“Sorry, about that, sir.” Ianto tried pushed himself up, but Jack’s hand pressed him back down.

“Sir, today, is it?” he asked, smiling.

“You’ve got your coat on.” Ianto pointed out. “Is the world about to end?”

Jack chuckled. “Not in the next few minutes, I don’t think. I was about to go check out the bay, see if there’s anything out there our scanners aren’t picking up.”

“What the fuck happened?” That was Owen, and Ianto couldn't help but grin. 

Jack looked over at him. “We’re working on that. All we know for sure is that the Doctor’s been taken and there was an ignition of Rift particles which is what knocked you two out.”

“Why didn’t the whole place go up?” Ianto asked, feeling slightly queasy at the thought.

“The Hub’s dampening field kicked in.” Jack stood up and walked away from the sofa.

Ianto blinked a couple of times, trying to clear his head before swinging his legs over the side of the sofa and sitting up. “Do we know who or what has taken him?” he asked. 

“No, we don’t know much of anything yet,” Gwen said.

Owen muttered that this was 'case, bloody, usual'. But everyone ignored him.

As Jack left with Gwen to go and do a sweep of the bay, Ianto was left to think about the last couple of days. The Doctor had been… interesting. The way he’d ordered Jack around had grated a little, but Jack’s obvious pleasure at having him there took the edge off it. The Doctor had talked more and faster than anyone Ianto had ever met. But his energy was infectious. The death of the Lucy Saxon had clearly meant more to Jack and the Doctor than it had to the rest of them, but that was fine. Jack rarely shared more than he had to, and the Doctor was there to help. 

As he watched Jack leave, he could see the tension in his body. He was clearly worried, and from the little he knew about the Doctor, trouble probably wasn’t far behind. Canary Wharf flashed into his mind, with all the accompanying screaming and blood and pain. Jack had said time and again that it wasn’t the Doctor’s fault, that he’d lost someone that day too. Not that Ianto needed telling. It wasn’t the Doctor’s fault. It was Torchwood One’s. Playing with technology they couldn’t hope to understand. No, Ianto knew all about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Doctor hadn’t killed Lisa. But, where ever he went, death followed closely behind. It had nearly been him and Owen today. Who knew who it might be tomorrow? Ianto wanted to point all this out, but he knew Jack wouldn’t listen. No, they’d have to figure out who was behind this, and hopefully together they could limit the carnage that the Doctor left in his wake. 

******

Very cautiously the Doctor opened his eyes. The Master’s mind was still there, complete with drumming, but it was blank. Clearly he was still unconscious. Not surprising, really, that this was harder on him than the Doctor; he had been dead nearly all day, after all. So, what to do? They weren’t prepared for an entrenchment. In fact, given how mentally unstable the Master was, and that the Doctor’s mind could be little more together these days, the whole situation was highly volatile. Still, at least the Master couldn’t kill him. 

The Doctor looked over at the Master’s sleeping form, not sure how he felt about the fact he was still the same regeneration he’d been Saxon in. This particular regeneration had seemed more insane than the others. But, he was not one to talk. 

They were both in danger, not just from whoever had trapped them here, but from each other too. He couldn't afford to let the Master in. The Doctor couldn’t think of anything more dangerous than giving the Master a foot-hold in his mind. Together they’d be unstoppable, and if he let his mind be corrupted… 

“Oh,” he breathed. “Yes, very clever. Bringing him back from death slowly, entrenching us so soon. Send us both crazy, all the more easy to control.” He scrambled to his feet. “Stupid, stupid. No idea what you’re messing with. Shouldn’t play with fire, no … no.” He felt around the walls, with more purpose this time. “Where are you? Come on, I know you’re there.”

Then he felt it. A slight tugging in the back of his mind. The empty space beginning to fill. He braced himself; he was more prepared this time and he tried to erect some defences. But tiny snippets floated through. The Master dancing with Lucy under an endless, starless sky. Jack screaming and dying. Joy as the Doctor knelt before him. He tried to stop them coming through, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t strong enough, whatever they’d been doing to him had weakened him both physically and mentally. More and more feelings and memories bombarded him. The war, the many, many failed plans, fear, anger, hatred and with it, driving it forward, the drums. Louder and louder until it felt like his head was going to split right open. He was on his knees, trying in vain to block it out. 

Then it was subsiding, the flood was being pulled back and he could stand. He looked over at the Master who was slumped forward, hands over his ears, eyes screwed shut. The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but the Master held up a hand. It was shaking with the effort of keeping the link between them partially closed. The Doctor’s head was still throbbing in agony, and the Master looked pale and sweaty. 

“Don’t say a word,” he breathed, “if you speak I won’t be able to close them. The drums are worse with you in here. Like they’ve been doubled. You’d think they’d be halved, twice the space to fill, but no, the echo of them.”

The Doctor made his shaky way over to the Master. “Don’t, you’re hurting yourself, you’re not strong enough.”

The Master opened bleary, red-rimmed eyes to glare at him. “I can do anything,” he hissed, even as he slumped back down onto the bed, pressing his forehead against the wall. 

The Doctor was so shocked by the echoing of his words from the Titanic that he was rendered speechless. Instead he reached out a hand, hoping to offer comfort. But even as it made contact, the shock of feeling from both his own hand, and the reflected feeling from the Master’s arm, made them both cry out. “Sorry,” the Doctor gasped. 

There was no reply. The Master had gone very still, as though trying to keep himself from flying apart. The Doctor was beginning to panic now. They could both die. Or worse, the Master could, and it would be his fault. Again. 

No, not now. 

With the last of his strength he plunged forward into the awaiting darkness. 

****

When he woke, his mind was a little quieter. The drums were still pounding and simply everything hurt, but the Master’s head was quiet. Well, this had to stop. Now. He tried to stand but in the end had to settle for crawling back to the wall. Slumped against it and tried to quieten his mind. Order his thoughts. Generally tidy up. He had guests now. The Master had tried to help. He’d tried to hold back his thoughts. The Doctor knew that this hadn’t been for his benefit, the Master had never liked the idea that someone might actually understand him. No, it had been a defensive gesture. But the Doctor was oddly touched by it anyway. He felt he owed the Master something, at least the same effort that he had put into making their link manageable.

Next, he reached out with his mind. There had to be some way they were monitoring them, hoping to find a way that they could be controlled. Which meant it might well be a telepathic link. Once he’d found it he could set out trying to access it. They might even be using whatever it was that had brought him and the Master into this cell. What went one way, could go the other. With his eyes closed and mind relaxed, the drums seemed almost deafeningly loud. Was this really how the Master felt all the time? No wonder he was always planning, anything to take his mind off it. But, no, the time for excuses was gone. The Master had always enjoyed others’ pain, just as the Doctor had enjoyed their pleasure. The drums might have sent him insane, but he had chosen the path of destruction. He could have created, helped. Like Professor Yana. That human incarnation had shown that the Master’s evil was a choice. The knowledge hurt more than the Doctor thought it would, but there it was anyway. And he had forgiven him. He still did. They only had each other now. Best make the best of it they could. Or he could. 

“Ah,” the Doctor opened his eyes. “There you are.” The link from whoever had taken them both and the room appeared as a tiny string of silver light from the top corner of the room. It was very clear now, it was just a way of looking at it. Now if he could just lock them both into its frequency then they might be able to move along it.

****

The drums began to crash so loudly that it felt as though the room should be shaking.

“Ah, you’re awake,” he said, trying to sound casual and missing by several miles.

“As are you,” the Master was already panting.

“Perhaps if we coordinate our efforts to control the link?” he suggested. His whole body ached with the desire to sleep, but he had to find a way out. To help them both.

“What? Try to think as one? Be as one? I don’t think reciting wedding vows will be any help.” the Master glared at the Doctor. “If that were possible, then I doubt we’d have spent hundreds of years battling.”

“Or if it weren’t we wouldn’t have,” the Doctor said, struggling towards the bed.

“Oh, shut up,” the Master snapped.

“You shut up.” The bed seemed so far away, and the edges of his vision were blurred. This was not good.

“How very cutting,” the Master seemed to be finding it hard to breathe. “I think you’re losing your touch. Or is the lack of your usual worshipful audience putting you off?”

“You’re not helping,” the Doctor gritted his teeth, he was near the bed now. “Do you think there’s something wrong with the entrenchment, or the way they’ve resurrected you?”

“How should I know?” The Master was gripping the thin sheets so hard his knuckles were turning white. 

The Doctor felt his own fingers begin to cramp and tried to flex them. Finally at the bed, he slumped forward, resting his head against the coarse material and tried to get his breath back. “Can’t you tell?”

“Can’t you?” The Master groaned and went very still. “I suppose whoever these idiots are, they don’t know much about Time Lord physiology. Keeping newly entrenched Time Lords within a hundred miles or each other is madness.” 

“I rather think that’s the point.”

“Trying to send us mad?” The Master laughed. “Too late!”

The Doctor was trying very hard not to let the pain overwhelm him. “So it’s our close proximity?”

“Would be my guess.” 

“We need to get out of here.” There was no answer, and the sudden quiet in his head was both a huge relief and utterly terrifying. But, no, the Master wasn’t dead. Not yet.

*****

This time the link was little dampened. The Doctor was thrilled. He’d managed to find a way to control the entrenchment. But when the Master’s eyes opened he knew he was wrong. It was the Master who was weakening. “You remember our first meeting?”

The Doctor shook his head.

“Liar,” the Master’s eyes were closed. “So much potential. All wasted. We could have ruled the universe.”

“I know,” the Doctor whispered. 

“We would have been magnificent.”

“Yes.”

*****

“What do you miss most?” the Doctor asked, anything to try and distract them from the drums.

“About Gallifrey?” the Master looked deathly pale against the white of the sheets. “Nothing.” 

“I know you’re lying, remember?” the Doctor said slowly.

“Then why don’t you just find out instead of asking?” the Master made a bold attempt to sound contemptuous, and the Doctor admired the sheer force of will. 

“Hurts too much to concentrate.” No point in lying. Which shouldn’t have been as comforting as it was.

“Feeling the pressure, Doctor? Here I thought you could take anything, getting weak in your old age?” The Doctor didn’t reply. “The way the trees were in winter: cold and deadly.”

“I miss…”

“Yes, I know. Everything. It’s pathetic. And yet you couldn’t wait to leave. Neither of us could.” The Master had taken to lying unnaturally still. The Doctor hated it.

“I know!” he hadn’t expected to raise his voice, and the sound was painful. They both gasped. “Sorry.”

“If there was one thing that you could have killed when you had the chance?” the Master smiled, although it looked odd, like there was no pleasure left.

****

“It shouldn’t hurt this much. I’ve never heard of this happening, even when the proper training wasn’t carried out.” The Doctor shoved at the link. He’d been trying and trying to work out how to reverse the link with the outside world and he couldn’t do it and he knew if he didn’t manage it soon, then he wouldn’t have the energy to do anything about it. 

“Have you ever heard of one being done against both participants’ will?” the Master asked pointedly.

“No,” the Doctor fidgeted, “although they weren’t what you’d call my field of expertise.”

The Master chuckled. “It all seemed too boring and pointless, didn’t it? Such a wide universe, why bother learning about home?”

This link was creating an intimacy that the Doctor could barely have let himself wish for and he couldn’t enjoy it. Could barely notice it was happening, apart from in a very peripheral way. Everything was peripheral now, apart from the pain and trying to force the link the other way. This was utterly unfair, but that wasn’t really registering, and even if it had the Doctor would have expected nothing less. 

“I wish I had, maybe then I could have-”

The Master actually looked at him, a mocking smile tugging the corners of his mouth. “Oh, Doctor, ever the conceited fool. No one could have stopped the war. If I couldn’t find a way… No, there was no choice and you know that as well as I do.”

The tears were painful as they ran down the Doctor’s cheeks. Stupid, so stupid.

*****

“And now I’m going to die in a tiny cell, with your pity all over me. It’s disgusting.” The Master seemed to muster up all his distain and glared at the Doctor for a moment before closing his eyes again.

“You’re not going to die,” the Doctor said slowly. Firmly. Not just to the Master but to the universe at large.

“No, we both are, me first, I should imagine, then you.” They were quiet for a long time. “Perhaps we should consummate our marriage before we die. What do you say, Doctor? One last conjugal visit before death?”

“You nearly passed out when I put my hand on your arm, I don’t see us being able to ‘consummate’ anything.” The Doctor realised that he might be blushing, or maybe it was the Master. Hard to say.

“But what a way to go!” the Master managed a weak chuckle. “And as we climax our heads would explode! What do you say, Doctor, last wish of the condemned man? I know you enjoyed our little kiss, I felt it, remember?”

“If you can manage to even sit up, I’ll think about it.” The Master didn’t move and the Doctor tried not to actually feel the disappointment he knew was forming and concentrated on the relief instead. He smiled suddenly. “This is like old times, isn’t it? Working together again? Remember that? Back before the war?”

There was no answer. The Doctor shifted uneasily against the wall. 

“If I’d have asked you to stay with me back then…” the Master’s voice held a note of challenge.

“You did and I-”

“No,” the Master shook his head. “I mean, just us, no plans, no helping lost puppies. Just us, a TARDIS and the universe.”

The Doctor stayed very still. Not daring to move in case he’d misheard. His hearts were beating fast enough that he was sure the Master must be able to hear them, even over the drums. “I’d have said no.”

The Master grinned. “Of course you would. As would I, but not before I tried to kill you.” He paused for a moment. “Seems stupid, now, doesn’t it? All that wasted time. But what do you do when you meet your destiny as a child?” 

The Doctor’s eyes were misty. He wanted to touch the Master, tell him to stop talking, because this was starting to sound like a goodbye.

No.

_No._

He was stopping this now. _Now._

He pushed hard. Harder than he thought possible at the link, and finally, _finally_ , it gave way. “Ah,” he panted, “I found a way out.”

The Master chuckled softly, shook his head. “Then let’s go,” he said. Cearly thinking the Doctor had finally lost his mind.

“Not ‘us’, just you.” And he shoved at the link with everything he had left in him. The bed was suddenly empty. The Doctor grinned before collapsing forward.

***********

The Master’s eyes burnt with white light. As it began to fade, a large room came into focus. As did the five guns all pointed directly at him.

“Jack!” He smiled broadly. “How wonderful to see you again!” 

Then, just as the ground was rushing up to meet him, everything went dark.

 

TBC....


	3. Chapter 3

An unconscious Time Lord was one of the many things that Jack hadn’t expected in the middle of his Hub. His stomach had turned over as he realised who it was. “Hold your fire!” he shouted, even as the Master folded up and fell to the floor, out cold.

“Leave him!” he shouted as Gwen rushed forward.

“But it’s Harold Saxon!” Gwen said, not moving but seemingly only just. “I thought he died along with the President?”

Jack’s heart was beating so fast it hurt. Questions were exploding in the back of his mind, but his training took over. “Don’t move! Just stay back.” Jack edged forward, gun trained on the unmoving Master. He slowly bent forward and searched the body, noting the paleness of his skin. Finding nothing that could even remotely be described as a weapon his edged back, but knew better than to drop his gun. He stood still, trying to recover from the shock, figure out what could have possibly happened to bring him back from the dead and then into the Hub.

“I thought he was dead,” Gwen repeated. 

Jack looked at her. “So did I. Looks like it didn’t take. Owen, help me move him to the cells,” Jack gestured to the body and feeling a little uneasy about it, holstered his gun. Owen paused only for a second before doing the same and going to crouch by the Master’s feet.

No sooner had they bent down, than the Master’s eyes flew open. Jack staggered backwards, going for his gun.

“Where am I?” the Master was on his feet, looking a little unsteady, still very pale, but still standing. “Put your guns down.”

Jack felt an almost hysterical bubble of laughter well up inside him. “Don’t think so. Now, you’re going to come down to the cells with me, or we’ll see if you're still looking so perky with another five bullets in your chest.”

The Master smiled. “Now, Jack, is that any way to treat an old friend?” He spread his arms wide. “Haven’t you missed me?”

“Cut the small talk and let’s go.” Jack used his gun to gesture towards the vaults. 

“Don’t you want to know where the Doctor is, then?” The Master seemed to know that this was the trump card, and raised an eyebrow expectantly. 

“What have you done with him?” Jack was trying to remain calm but every fibre of his being was screaming for him to take his team and run as far as possible.

“Many, many things that you could only ever dream of.” The Master sighed as though the whole conversation were tiresome and began to walk toward the nearest desk. He stopped as five safeties were removed, held his hands up and grinned. “I come in peace,” he said softly.

“Now, why do I find that hard to believe?” Jack asked, eyeing the distance between the desk and the Master. 

“No, I come humbly to beg for your help.” He pressed his hands together as if praying, face a mask of only slightly mocking seriousness. 

“Our help in what?” He was playing for time now, trying to figure out what the Master was after, a way of stopping him. Wondering whether the Doctor would ever forgive him if Jack were responsible for killing him again.

“Saving the dear Doctor, of course!” The Master looked abashed that he hadn’t realised sooner.

“Funny, that,” Jack said, “given last time I saw you, you were doing your best to kill him.”

The Master smiled. “Lot’s changed since then.”

“Has it?” Jack was aware of the rest of his team becoming restless, not liking that they were clearly not in the loop. “What exactly has changed?”

“We’re married for one thing.” The Master stood for a moment, clearly enjoying the effect he knew his words would have. 

Jack felt his eyes go wide and his breath hitch. “What?”

“That’s right, we were just two fools in love," he smiled hugely, "you know how it is. So, we got hitched.” The Master used Jack’s shock to edge closer to the desk. Looking every inch as though he were merely interested in the read-outs on Tosh’s computer. “Only, there was a _slight_ problem, bit of a botched job you might say and the, err, bond is killing us. Or was, I should say, until the Doctor sent me here.” He eyed the guns still trained on him. “So, unless you want to kill the Doctor, I’d put your guns away.”

Jack knew a little about Time Lord marriage ceremonies, and as such was aware that if the Entrenchment was new that a sudden, violent death of one the partners would be enough to kill the other. That was, if the Master wasn’t lying. And that was a big ‘if’. He eyed the Master suspiciously. “You’ve been entrenched with the Doctor? How?”

“Whoever took him from your loving bosom, also raised me from the dead. They entrenched the Doctor and I, doing a pretty poor job. So bad, in fact, that I suspect humans were involved,” he put his hand to his mouth as if in shock. “No offence, of course.”

“I’m supposed to believe that, am I?” Jack was trying every trick he knew to spot some sign of deception from the Master, but he just couldn’t be sure. He hated not knowing, not being sure which direction to lead his team.

“The first time you met the Doctor you were a con-man.” The Master paused as if listening to something that Jack couldn’t hear. “Oh,” the Master smiled in mock affection, “how sweet. You saved him by taking a bomb that was about to explode on board your ship. You would have died had the Doctor not docked the TARDIS with your ship.” The Master looked unbearably smug for a moment, before he stretched his arms out wide and said, “Go on, ask me anything.” 

Jack thought for a long time. “Okay, on Satellite 5, what was the last thing I did before going to fight the Daleks?” 

The Master inclined his head again, before grimacing. “Urgh, you kissed the Doctor.”

Jack let out a breath slowly before nodding slightly. “Okay, say I believe you, what’s to say that you’re not here to kill us, and that you don’t just have the Doctor trapped somewhere?”

“I don’t have time for this,” the Master looked genuinely agitated, he began to pace, before hovering by the desk. “If you don’t hurry whoever took the Doctor and brought me back is going to make their move, and the longer we stand her gossiping the more likely it becomes that they’ll just kill us both and be done with it.” He sighed, clearly seeing that Jack wasn’t being swayed. “I have no real way of proving myself, expect to say that if there was any way that I could escape this God-forsaken rock and run I would. But if I don’t get back to the Doctor soon I will die. Entrenchments are meant to be done at a distance, but if we’re apart for too long then the link – which we cannot sever without it killing us – will slowly drain our life-forces in order to maintain itself. Not to mention the fact that all entrenchments are done via the vortex and if one of us were to die suddenly at such great distances so early it might rip a hole in the fabric of time. Death all round, and on your watch.” The Master raised an eyebrow. “So, Captain, what do you say? Wanna help me save the universe?”

Jack shook off the feeling that this was all a horrible mistake and gestured to his office. “Let’s talk about what you know and maybe we can figure out a way to save the Doctor.” 

“Oh, let’s! Then maybe we could braid each other’s hair and talk about boys we like!” The Master didn’t move.

Jack sighed and locked eyes with the Master. “You want our help? Then you’re going to tell us everything you know.” 

“Fine,” the Master huffed and walked swiftly to Jack’s office without a backward glance.

“I’ll be back, in the meantime keep checking those readouts and try to find anything you can about possible ways the Doctor might have been taken.”

His team looked a little uncomfortable about being kept out of the discussion process but managed to not actually verbalise their discontent. Jack sighed and walked slowly to his office. 

He shut the door behind him and turned to the Master. “Okay,” he said slowly, “I think you better start from the beginning.”

The Master was holding a gun and shooting Jack in the head all in the same moment. 

When the universe sprang him back into place, Jack prised his eyes open to find the Master looming over him, looking furious.

“Never,” he said slowly, “order me to do anything, _ever_ , again.” He looked at Jack for another moment before grinning. “This is going to be fun! Just like old times!” He threw the spare gun that Jack kept in his desk-draw down at his feet and grinned. “Now we can talk.”

*****

The Master sat at Jack’s desk looking through the readouts that Torchwood - what a stupid name - had gathered. He could hear Jack in the background trying to soothe his team, who had heard the gunshot and come running.

 _That was unbelievably stupid and unnecessary._ The Doctor’s voice sounded a little irritated, which the Master found very satisfying.

 _You may think so, but it’s important to establish the chain of command early on. I will not have the freak ordering me about simply because he has some stolen alien technology that I may find useful._

It was difficult to concentrate on the readouts with the Doctor in his head. _You mean you need HIM._

 _I mean I will find him useful._ The Master sighed. There was nothing here. No indication of where the Doctor had been taken to. _Or I may not. These readouts are worse than useless._

He rubbed his head. The drums were still agonisingly loud, but not as bad as they had been. He knew he wasn’t at his most efficient but he would die again before showing Jack or any of his cronies that.

The Master sighed in annoyance. _I can feel your empathy all over me. I shall need a long shower._

_I’m sorry, I can’t help that. You’re feeling better now we’re further apart._

No need to ask anymore. He sighed again. _In some ways._

 _Sweet._ The Doctor sounded tired but amused.

_Shut up. Surely you need to sleep. It’s been days. I’ll work infinitely better without you prattling on in my head._

_I think I’d rather keep an eye on you. Or mind on you._

_Like you can help that, I’m ALWAYS on your mind._ Feeling someone mentally sighing was an odd sensation, and not an altogether pleasant one. _What’s the matter? Don’t trust me with the freak?_

_No._

The Master chuckled. _Get some sleep, I promise I won’t kill anyone until they’ve actually managed to do something useful. It could take centuries._

There was a long pause and the Mater felt the Doctor settle down, and his thoughts begin to slow. _He trusts me._ He filed this information away and got up from the desk.

He couldn’t see Jack at first and then he noticed him on the upper level talking to one of this team, the one in the suit. As he watched them a slow smile crept over his face. He then turned his attention to the nearest human. 

“Have you managed to find out anything of any importance at all?” He let the irritation he felt seep into his words.

The human looked at him seeming more surly than usual, but it was hard to tell. “Do you even know my name?” he snapped, leaning back on his chair.

“Why would I do something as pointless as that?” the Master asked, leaning on the man’s desk.

“It’s Owen, and I don’t care whether Jack says we’re to go along with you for now. I’m not taking any orders from you, and I’m armed, so stop bothering me.” He turned back to his computer and began typing more forcefully than was probably necessary. 

“Now, is that polite?” The Master pouted. “You’ll hurt my feelings.” But he left anyway, went to stand directly behind the Japanese woman. Revelling in feeling her discomfort as he stood as close to her as he could, feeling her flinch, but try not to show it.

He smiled and lent down to whisper in her ear. “What’s our industrious Captain told you about me?”

She tensed and tried to carry on with her work. “That we’re not to trust you, and to ignore you as best as we can.”

He laughed softly. “But, I’m not so easy to ignore, am I?” 

“Leave her alone,” Jack’s voice was soft but tipped with steel. The Master hadn’t noticed him coming to stand near-by, something else which he noted for future use.

He smiled and drew back from the desk. “I was just asking how the team was getting on.”

Jack just stared at him. “You haven’t been able to tell us anything at all, and we have no leads. Unless you start actually thinking about this, you’re going to die. And so will the Doctor.”

The Master sighed. “I’ve told you. The cell was just a cell, there was nothing in there with any clues as to who our captors might be. The Doctor was handling the link.”

_And I didn’t recognise the technology._

The Master sighed. “And he didn’t recognise the technology.” _I thought you were asleep._

 _I felt you enjoying yourself and knew there must be trouble._ The Doctor’s thoughts were fond, which was annoying. 

_Oh, ye of little faith. I was just trying to help the humans._

_Hmmm, I’ll bet._

_Go back to sleep, you’re tiring me out too you know._ He felt the Doctor’s guilt and grinned.

Jack, by this time, was staring at him strangely. “Don’t worry,” the Master sighed. “I’m no more insane than the last time we met. The Doctor is simply awake and had to get his two-bits in.”

Jack looked uncertain. “You can communicate with him?”

“Yes, but don’t even consider asking me to act as a comms unit, I won’t be passing any messages of undying loyalty and love on. Makes me heave, you see.” 

Jack didn’t say anything, but walked over the Gwen and began talking quietly to her. The Master watched him for a long moment. “Don't you have any idea where the technology for your resurrection might have come from?” Jack asked.

“You mean you don’t recognise it?” he asked, feigning innocence. “I thought you’d realise straight away.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The Master could tell that Jack’s anger was simmering right below the surface. It was just a matter of finding the right trigger. “I got it right from the dragon’s den.” He spread his arms out wide. “Torchwood One.”

Everyone was suddenly looking at him. Exactly as it should be.

*******

Owen, Gwen, Tosh, and Jack were sitting in the conference room. The Master had chosen not to sit, but was walking to and fro about the room. Not pacing, exactly, but not wanting to remain still either. It felt like an age since he’d been able to move, plan, control. 

“But Torchwood One was destroyed,” Owen was saying.

The Master sighed heavily. “You hire only the best and brightest, Jack, my compliments.” Jack ignored this barb, as he had every other. “It was mostly destroyed. There were remnants. Some non-cyber personnel and lots of alien technology. You cannot have been naive enough to assume that they would simply leave it all behind? No, they simply gained private sponsorship and continued along much the same line.”

“And then you came along,” Jack said. He seemed like he knew where this was going and didn’t like it. 

“That’s right, I gave a little… direction, some pointers here and there and they came up with the nifty idea of my ring, along with the Archangel technology, with some of my guidance, of course. Apparently they got the idea for the ring from some sort of glove.” The Master noticed the way that every person around the table suddenly tensed. 

“The second Resurrection Gauntlet,” Tosh said slowly. 

“They come in pairs,” Jack said, under his breath. 

“Only it seems there was some glitch. Something went wrong, perhaps my body was not in very good shape by the time they got to me. Lucy was meant to report to them immediately in the event of my death with the ring, but she was always afraid of them. I wouldn’t mind betting she ran, and that they tracked her down. Couldn’t let that sort of technology just roam free.” Jack was smiling at him, he hated the sight. “What?”

“It’s just you’re right,” he said slowly, “you’re body probably wasn’t in the best state.”

The Master glared at him. “Why? What did the Doctor do to it?”

Jack locked eyes with him. “He burned you. To make sure you couldn’t come back.”

For reasons that the Master didn’t care to go into, that made him feel… odd. A little unsettled and possibly hurt. This was utterly unacceptable, as was the smug look on the freak’s face. But, as luck would have it, the door opened at precisely that moment,

The Master grinned as Ianto entered the conference room, carrying two pizza boxes. He placed them down on the table and looked between the Master and Jack, clearly wondering what he’d missed.

“Jack,” the Master said, looking over his shoulder at him, “what excellent taste you have. I remember him.” Not taking his eyes off Ianto he walked over to him and stood just inside his personal space. Ianto had gone very still. He looked over at Jack, unsure what he should do. “We had such fun. Such a wonderful screamer, wasn’t he?” The Master reached out and ran the back of his fingers over Ianto’s face. 

There was a crash as Jack over turned his chair and the table, and before anyone in the room realised what was happening, had the Master pinned against the wall. The Master was panting in shock, but he looked jubilant. 

“Don’t ever touch him again,” Jack hissed. “If you ever, even so much as look at him funny I will kill you, entrenchment or not.”

“Now, now Jacky,” the Master purred, “no need to get all alpha male about it, I’m sure Ianto here is old enough to make his own decisions.” He looked over Jack’s shoulder. “I rather remember him enjoying aspects of his stay with me.”

Jack shoved him back into the wall, knocking the air out of him. “I mean it. You talk to me, and only me. There is no reason for you to even make eye contact with my team. You hear me?” When there was no reply, he raised his voice. “You hear me? I will kill you, I don’t care how long it takes or who I have to get through to do it.” 

The Master had never before seen this side to Jack and was thrilled that there was such darkness beneath the goody good exterior. He half smiled at him, shoved him away, and after smoothing down his suit left the room.

****

Everyone seemed to be frozen, their eyes wide and trained on Jack. He was still panting, the memories from the year that never was fighting their way into his mind even as he tried to push them back. It had taken the Master a few months to realise that torturing Jack had little effect on his mental state. Then he’d begun bringing members of Torchwood on board. Gwen and Owen had been killed in the initial attack on Earth. When he’d caught Tosh and brought her aboard the Valliant, she had been too scared to move, had called out to Jack again and again to help her. He’d let that wash over him, knowing there was nothing he could do. That everything that could be done was being done. But, Ianto had simply stared at Jack and smiled, showing nothing but quiet understanding and forgiveness. It had taken weeks for the Master to grow tired of Ianto. Nausea rocked him for a moment and Jack breathed deeply, running his hands through his hair.

“You okay?” Ianto was in front of him, his blue eyes holding Jack steady as the world rocked around him. 

He managed to nod. He swallowed a couple of times and shook himself. ”I’ll be in my office.”

****

The door was barely shut before Owen spoke. “What the fuck was that about? I’d never have thought of Jack as the jealous type.”

Ianto seemed unsure whether to be embarrassed or worried. “He’s not.”

“No,” Gwen shook her head, “he wasn’t jealous, he was scared. Have you ever seen him like that before?”

The others shook their heads. “I’ve never seen him lose it like that,” Tosh said.

“If this guy is so dangerous, why has Jack let him in the Hub, and why are we helping him?” Owen asked.

“I don’t know, but we’ve got to trust Jack. He wouldn’t be doing it if he didn’t have to,” Gwen said firmly. 

Ianto looked out of the window towards Jack’s office. 

Owen sighed heavily. “I hate having that guy here. Who calls themselves ‘The Master’? He’s clearly a nut job and he gives me the creeps and the way he was talking then, like he’d met Ianto before, what was that about?”

Ianto shrugged, feeling dirty and deeply unsettled for reasons he couldn’t describe. He shook his head. “I don’t know, I’ve never met him.”

Gwen shuddered. “The sooner we figure out what’s going on, the sooner we can get him out of here and the sooner I’ll feel better.”

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

Jack was sitting behind his desk staring at nothing. Ianto had to crouch down beside his chair before he even noticed that someone had come in. “Jack,” he said softly, gently emphasising the use of his first name, “what’s going on?”

Jack started when he noticed Ianto, but his eyes didn’t lose any of their concern when he registered who it was. He shook his head. “There are things that I can’t talk about.”

Ianto nodded. “Okay,” he said softly, “then try telling me something that you can talk about.”

Jack looked at him. “I think it might be better if you went home. I think I can handle the Master, and it’d be safer-”

“It’d be safer?” Ianto cut in. “Jack, we hunt aliens for a living, no day is what most people would describe as safe. I don’t understand what’s going on, if you don’t trust him then why have you let him in the Hub at all?”

“I don’t trust him, but I do trust the Doctor, he’s saved everyone so often that we have to do the same for him.” Jack sighed. “I’m sorry I can’t explain, but there are things I can’t-”

“Yes,” Ianto said firmly, “so I’ve gathered. But this obviously affects me; you’re trying to send me home and I’d like to know a) when that’s ever actually worked, and b) if the Master’s dangerous enough to get you this worked up why I’d be safer sitting at home watching telly.”

Jack smiled, but he seemed sad and tired. “It’s the way he was looking at you. I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, but just having him here feels so wrong. I fought against him for so long and now I’m expected to just work alongside him, and the thing is, I do believe what he’s telling me, and I also know that that must be wrong and possibly the most stupid mistake I’ve ever made. And believe me,” Jack looked at Ianto, “there’ve been a few. I lost you once to him and I just can’t do it again.” He looked away from Ianto, jaw tense. 

Ianto had learnt not to press Jack for information. He very rarely told him anything in a linear way, it seemed to be too painful for Jack to do it that way. Ianto simply stayed quiet and gathered the shards of information and pieced them back together on his own. He knew that Jack hardly ever opened up and that he needed this. Ianto didn’t speak, he just listened, and was still there when Jack had finished. 

That was all Jack ever needed, and he was happy to give it.

****

The Master seemed to be in a better mood now he’d managed to get a reaction out of Jack. He hummed to himself as he went over the readouts for the fifth time. Jack braced himself and walked over to him. 

“Do you have any ideas?” he asked, arms crossed over his chest. He realised it looked defensive, but didn’t change his posture. 

“Many, many,” the Master said without looking up. “None of which are very plausible.” 

Jack sighed. “The readings all seem to be saying the same thing,” Jack said when it looked like the Master wasn’t going to offer any more to the conversation, “that the Doctor didn’t go anywhere. But, he clearly did.”

“Hmmm,” the Master said distractedly. Then a complete change came over him. He froze and looked at Jack. “Say that again.”

“What?” He frowned. “That the readings say the Doctor hasn’t gone anywhere?”

The Master laughed. Stood up and laughed again. “Oh, very clever, very clever. Yes, yes. Of course they say that. He _hasn’t_ gone anywhere.”

He ran down to the spot where the Doctor had been standing just before he’d disappeared and held a hand up, as though touching something Jack couldn’t see. He laughed again. “Yes, yes, very good. _Very_ good indeed!” He paced for a moment, then nodded. 

“What?” Jack said, hating having to ask for the Master to explain it, but he didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and was looking at him. “Do you know where the Doctor is?” 

The Master smiled at him. It was a strange smile and it took Jack a moment to realise why. There was no malice in it, or mocking sarcasm. It was a smile of genuine joy. The change in the Master’s face was remarkable. “He’s right here! I might be standing on him.” He moved a little to the left at this and laughed. 

“But, then why can’t we see him? And I thought you said you were in a cell?” Jack felt like slapping him to calm him down. It was something he’d often considered doing to the Doctor when he got like this, but he refused to make any further comparisons between the two. 

“We weren’t asking the right question!” The Master grinned. “Not where is he, but _when_ is he!”

Realisation dawned on Jack, and he felt a smile tugging at his lips. “You mean that they’ve transported him through time.”

“Yes, just find a time when the Hub wasn’t here, build a cell and bam! Perfect kidnapping.” The Master began to pace, he brought his hand to his mouth, an indication that he was following a train of thought. “There must still be link between here and there,” he said. “The Doctor used it to send me here.”

“Can we use it to bring him here, or us to him?” Jack asked.

Tosh was already modifying her scans to find that sort of energy signature. She gasped. “I’ve found it.” Both the Master and Jack ran to her side. Jack edged in front of the Master, a physical barrier between Tosh and him. “It looks like normal background radiation from the rift, but it’s too still. Look at the way the rest of the spikes from the rift dart about but this one,” she pointed at the screen, “is hardly moving at all.” 

“And why couldn’t we see it before?” Jack hated missing things. They’d wasted too much time. 

“Well, we were looking for something that changed as the Doctor was taken, but this looks like it’s always been here. They just had to activate it.” Tosh tried to get the reading as clear as possible. 

“So we can bring him back,” Jack said, feeling utterly relieved at the thought.

But the Master was shaking his head. “I don’t think that it works like that. If the Doctor had been able to come with me, he would have. No, I think it’s a one way trip only. Someone might be able to go to him, but then you’d be stuck there.”

Jack nodded. “But, there must be another way in, otherwise how could you have been any use to them?” 

The Master was silent for a long time. “We might be able to track him using the link and then use the TARDIS to go to him.”

“Don’t you think it might be safer to work out what they want with the two of you first? We might be walking into a trap,” Owen said.

The Master looked at Jack, and smiled insincerely at him. “Permission to speak to the ape, sir?”

Jack glared at him. “Denied,” he said shortly. He looked at Owen, “You might be right.” He sighed. “But we also don’t have much time.” 

He sighed. It seemed the Master was at least trying to help find out what happened. Not that Jack planned on letting his guard down even a little. There weren’t many people who Jack would attach the word ‘hate’ to, but the Master was one of them. It wasn’t so much the evil genius thing, Jack had met plenty of those and didn’t hate them. It was the utter joy the Master found in destruction, and, more than that, it was the way that the Doctor was around him. Jack found it hard to watch the Doctor’s grief, comprehend that he could care so much about someone who had not only hurt everyone the Doctor was meant to care about but had _enjoyed_ it. Had loved it, in fact.

It had felt like a betrayal when the Doctor had announced he’d give everything up to be with the Master, and Jack hadn’t really been able to forgive him. After all that waiting, after being abandoned, and then ignored, it was that that had really hurt. It made it seem that it hadn’t mattered to the Doctor, all those things that he’d witnessed in the year that never was. But it did to Jack. He knew, too, from Martha that the Doctor had been less than lenient with those who he came up against in the year she’d been with him. Yes, the Master might be the last of the Doctor’s kind but did that mean Jack’s love, or Martha’s, meant nothing? It would never be enough for the Doctor, while the hatred of another Time Lord was. He could have gone with the Doctor, travelled with him for years and simply asked to be brought back to Torchwood just after he’d left. It wasn’t like Jack didn’t have enough time. But he couldn’t. Not now. He would always love the Doctor, but it wasn’t blind any more. He could finally see the Doctor, and yes, he was brilliant, but there was darkness too. The Doctor couldn’t give Jack the redemption that he craved, that was up to him alone. So he’d left, gone home, back to his team, back to Ianto and he hadn’t looked back. It had always felt temporary before, because he knew he was just waiting until the moment that he would be able to leave with the Doctor. It wasn’t like that now. He was here to stay, and it actually felt nice. 

But the Master was threatening that. Jack had been able to leave the Doctor, safe in the knowledge that everything would carry on just the same without him. Although, they all knew that Martha was going to stay with her family, the Doctor would find a new companion, and he’d be alright. Jack wasn’t so sure that that was true anymore. The Master affected the Doctor’s judgement at the best of times. There was no way that he could kill him, if he hadn’t been able to after the Toclafane, then there was no chance of it now. And the Master had a foothold in the Doctor’s mind. Together they’d be unstoppable, and Jack didn’t dare imagine what they could do if they put their now joined minds to it. He had to find some way of ending their Entrenchment without killing the Doctor. He’d kill the Master without a second’s thought, if he had to, despite knowing the Doctor would never forgive him. There were things that someone had to do, and Jack wouldn’t shirk the responsibility. 

“I’m talking to you, Captain Marvellous,” the Master was glaring at him. “Are we going or not?”

Jack looked at his team. His eyes lingered over Ianto for a moment before he nodded. “Just us,” he said firmly. “The rest of you stay here and think of plans B through Z, just in case.” 

Although the idea of letting Jack go without the rest of them was never met with approval it seemed the idea of being able to get rid of the Master had a certain appeal, because no one argued with him. 

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said. 

The Master was bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Oh this will fun! A road trip with someone who can’t die, imagine the fun I could have!”

Jack didn’t reply just walked over to where the TARDIS was, tucked into a corner of the Hub where the Doctor had parked it, refuelling. 

*****

The link between the Master and the Doctor was beginning to take its toll. Although there had been an instant relief as soon as they’d been separated, the link was now being stretched too far. The Master wanted nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep. The Doctor was trying his best to sleep for the both of them, but it wasn’t easy because everything hurt, making sleep difficult. The Master could feel his listless sleep in his head. The half-way point between waking and sleeping made them both feel disorientated. The Doctor caught brief glimpses of what the Master was doing and tried to concentrate, but couldn’t quite struggle to wake completely. Sending the Master back to the Twenty-First century and taken its toll on him. The Master meanwhile felt every shift the Doctor’s mind made. His worry and guilt about not being able to do anything. It was disconcerting, and the link had turned on its hosts to feed itself. Every movement felt laboured as he walked toward the TARDIS. He refused to show this.

He would get back to the Doctor and they would find a way to break this Entrenchment, and if not, there were ways around it. He felt the Doctor’s joy at having him near and alive, that he wasn’t alone. The trust and, yes, love. He could use it all, he could finally have dominion over the Doctor. It was so close he could taste it. The idea of forcing the Doctor to comply was not as appealing as having his genuine consent, but it would do. Then maybe the drums would stop. With the both them united, not pulling in opposite directions, they would be able to stop them. 

But things were not going according to plan. “What do you mean she won’t accept your commands?” 

Jack glared at him. “I would have thought that was obvious, even to you. She won’t do anything, she’s not even showing me any of her readings.”

The Master sighed. He could feel the TARDIS’s fear and anger at him for the way he had treated her on their last encounter, and she could barely stand Jack’s wrongness at all. She was as stubborn as the Doctor. The Master walked to her controls and reached out to them. “Ouch!” He pulled his hand back and stuck his finger in his mouth.

 _She won’t listen to you._ The Doctor’s thoughts seemed to be getting smaller, but the Master didn’t have time to think about what that might mean. _I programmed her not to react to another Time Lord after the paradox machine, thought it was safer._

_What a bloody stupid thing to do! There had to be a way around this._

_There isn’t. You could probably override my controls, but that would takes weeks that we just don’t have. Besides, the precision that you’d need to get to me would require her to like you, and that won’t be happening._

There was no real need for the Doctor to be feeling smug about this, even if it was buried under his concern. The Master bit his lips and gave in. “Oh, get the apes in here. See if she can stand any of them, they’ll have to calm her down and fly her.”

Jack looked as though this were the last thing he wanted to do, and the Master felt the same. But, there was little choice in the matter, and even less time.

After Jack had gone he let himself sag a little, lent against the TARDIS wall and closed his eyes. The drums had altered since the Doctor had turned up in his head. They didn’t seem to be pushing him forward now. Far from it, they made him want to lie down in a dark room until they went away. He couldn’t understand it; yes, he’d hated him. That they’d never once let him rest, but they had, at times, seemed like a companion of his own. Always there pushing him on to greater and better schemes and it seemed now like they’d turned against him. Perhaps they were jealous of sharing him with the Doctor. But, they’d always done that.

“Ah,” he pushed himself away from the wall as Jack brought his little team back with him. The Master watched them splutter and gasp at the TARDIS for a moment, but only a moment. “Right, I don’t have time for you to be as utterly shit as usual.” The Torchwood team tensed at this, and turned to look at him. “You’re going to concentrate, open your minds to the TARDIS, with the Doctor so far away I think she’ll be looking for someone to be able to fly her to him.” They just stared at him. “Well get on with it! Or shall we just stand about until the universe comes crashing down around us?”

They all looked at Jack, who shook his head. “Just do as he says, the TARDIS won’t hurt you.” 

Owen was the first to open his eyes again. “This is bullshit, I can’t feel anything.” 

The Master rolled his eyes. “Then get out, you’re obviously as useless as you look.”

“Fuck you,” Owen said and turned around to watch the others.

Gwen was next. “I’m sorry, Jack,” she said, “I think I can feel it, but it’s like I’m being blocked.”

“That’s fine, honey, don’t worry about it,” Jack soothed and looked apprehensively at Tosh and Ianto.

Tosh sighed, “I think I can feel something, it’s a little like the necklace Mary gave me, but I don’t know.” She looked at Jack, “Is that helpful?”

“No,” the Master said, everyone looked at him. “It’s all up to you, Welsh boy, show us what you’ve got.”

Ianto looked at him for a long moment before turning and walking to the nearest console. He paused for a second, closing his eyes before reaching out and flipping a switch. The TARDIS sprung into life around them. “Ah ha!” the Master bounded forward, tried not to make it too obvious when a wave of dizziness hit and grabbed hold of the nearest support. Which turned out to be Ianto, he grinned at him, then took his head in his head and kissed him firmly on the mouth. “That’d a boy!” he cried.

Jack had already covered the couple of steps between them, his hand going to his gun. The Master waved a hand at him. “Stand down, Captain, nothing to get your knickers in a twist over.”

Ianto was blinking at him, then he turned to look at Jack. “Looks like I’m coming along for the ride.”

Jack nodded grimly.

*****

“She likes you.” Ianto looked over at Jack, who was trying not to hover over his shoulder and failing.

“I get the feeling that calling the TARDIS ‘she’ has more to it than nautical tradition,” he said as he ran a hand over the console. 

“Yeah,” Jack agreed, smiling fondly, “she’s alive, a living organism as a ship.”

Ianto pressed his lips together and just nodded. He’d heard stranger things. Besides, it felt like she was talking to him. Not exactly with words, but suggestions would appear in his mind. He’d done what the Master had told him to, tried to open his mind to whatever might be there. Almost straight away he’d felt a little tug at the back of his mind, a presence. It seemed … annoyed, and a little scared or concerned. He’d tried to relax, project calm and reassurance. That had been all, but then when the Master had told him to show him what he could do, he’d just _known_ that pressing that button would turn on the screen in front of him. 

The Master had immediately tried to take over, pushing Ianto roughly out of the way and pressing another button, but all he’d received was an electric shock and some smoke. Ianto had felt a stab of annoyance that didn’t seem entirely his own. He also felt a wariness when Jack was too close to the console. He’d known - since Owen had shot Jack in the head and he’d gotten up - that there was something different about him, but he’d never considered it as something _wrong_ until now.

“I think it’s because of how calm you are,” Jack said, obviously determined not to be left out of the process altogether. “She’s worried about the Doctor, and having me and him here isn’t ideal.”

“I can imagine,” Ianto said. He’d taken a look at Tosh’s readings of the anomaly, and was now trying to figure out how to show it to the TARDIS. A small frown formed as he pulled a lever. 

“Can I help?” Jack said after trying to be quiet for about a minute. 

“I’d love a cup of coffee,” Ianto smiled over his shoulder at Jack, who grinned back at him.

“Could you enjoy this any more?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t know.” He stopped as though considering this. “No, come to think of it, I don’t think I could. It must be hard, Mr-I-know-everything-there-is-to-know-about-time travel, to ask me – who has never travelled in time – to fly a time-ship for you. Breaks my heart, really.”

“Do you want a job after this?” Jack asked, grinning at him.

“You can’t fire me, what if you can’t work the computers in the Hub? I know that people your age can find technology hard to understand, I’m sure it was very different in your day. Steam power and all that.” Ianto patted Jack on the arm. “Just remember I’m here if you need help texting or anything.”

Jack’s eyes flashed. “That’s enough of that, Mr Jones,” he said. His expression was different now. More predatory. He came toward Ianto, backing him away from the console and towards a wall. He was advancing on him like a big cat, eyes narrowed and lips pressed tightly together, but eyes sparkling in the warm light of the TARDIS. “Old, am I? Passed it?”

Ianto tried not to smile. “Well, we can’t all be young and virile, and there’s something to be said for wisdom. Not that you’re not spry,” he conceded, he bit his lip and shrugged, “for your age.” Ianto’s back met with the wall, but Jack carried on toward him. 

“Is that what you think?” Jack asked, him arms resting either side of Ianto against the wall of the TARDIS, trapping him there. 

Ianto just smiled and looked at him. “Never said I didn’t like older men.”

Jack suppressed his smile. “You know, I think you’re getting a bit big for your boots, Ianto Jones, time someone took you down a peg a two. In fact,” he lent in close and kissed Ianto just under his ear, feeling a little shiver run through Ianto as his lips touched the sensitive skin. “I think I know what would be most beneficial for you.”

Ianto was breathing more heavily now, his breath tickling the hair’s at the base of Jack’s neck. “What’s that then?” His hands came up, pulling Jack against him.

Jack pressed a series of kisses to his neck. “A dressing down by a superior officer, or an _un_ dressing, maybe.”

“Hmmmm.” Ianto mumbled, leaning forward trying to press a kiss against Jack’s neck. “I think that’d do me the power of good.”

Jack grinned and captured Ianto’s lips in a kiss. It was meant to be a small peck before they got back to work. It really was, but Jack was pressing against him tightly, trying to pull them as closer. Jack’s hands were suddenly everywhere, pulling at Ianto’s suit, trying to get at some skin. Ianto had never really been able to think straight where Jack was concerned; he was too intoxicating. He didn’t have to think, Jack just took over him. He seemed so in control that Ianto could let go, and that was new to him. And utterly amazing. Finally Jack pulled back, and Ianto suddenly realised how breathless and flush they both were. 

“Now, be good, or I’ll be forced to punish your more severely next time,” Jack whispered, his lips ghosting along his ear.

“Oh, I don’t know whether to throw up or retire to my room,” the Master’s voice seemed to be magnified and felt like it was echoing around the TARDIS.

Ianto tried to act as though nothing was happening, by casually looking away from Jack at the TARDIS consoles, and frowning. The effect was a little let down by the fact that he was still holding onto Jack. Who, for his part, pulled away slowly from their embrace and smiled at Ianto before heading out of the TARDIS, hopefully to get some coffee. He didn’t even look at the Master as he passed him. 

Ianto swallowed the urge to make some sort of excuse for their unprofessional behaviour and went back to work. Only now the Master was hovering just over his shoulder. For all that the Master was slight physically, his presence was like a brick wall behind Ianto, and utterly impossibly to ignore.

“Getting off while the universe is ending, eh?” the Master said after Ianto had tried very hard to ignore him for several minutes. 

He paused for a moment but decided not to answer. There was no point in arguing and Jack seemed to hate it when Ianto spoke to the Master, and as he had absolutely no desire to do so, he tried not to.

“I think I might learn you like you,” the Master said. “Your hideous taste in partners aside, of course.” Ianto felt the Master lean forward a little, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. “Not that ‘partners’ is the right word, really. I mean you’re not exactly his partner, are you? Someone to make his coffee and get him off after a hard day might be closer to the truth.”

Ianto sighed heavily, and tried to push out the irritation along with his breath. No need to rise to the bait. He pulled another lever, and moved around the console, stretching to reach a couple of buttons. Trying to shut out everything but what the TARDIS was trying to communicate. 

“How much do you know about our handsome Captain?” The Master’s voice was so gentle, and although Ianto knew there was certainly malice behind the words it was hard to keep that thought in his head. The Master was even closer to him now. “Not as much as I do, I should think. I have the Doctor’s memories, now. You know how they met? What they were to each other?”

Ianto’s hand hovered over a button, and although he was staring at the screen in front of him he wasn’t really seeing it. He swallowed. Perhaps it was because he’d been startled out of such an intimate moment, but he felt raw and exposed and the Master’s words seemed to surround him. Wrapping them together in a little pocket where there was only Ianto and what the Master was saying. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, not just to the Master. Tried to break whatever mood this was. “I know what he is to me, to Torchwood … he’ll tell me the rest when he’s ready.”

“What he remembers perhaps.” The Master came to stand directly behind Ianto. “There are things even Jack doesn’t know about himself. Two years of his life that he doesn’t remember. Not to mention well over a hundred that he does.”

Ianto tried not the tense up, not to show any sign that the Master was having an affect on him, but he couldn’t. He’d considered the possibility that Jack might be older than he looked, but… “I don’t believe you,” he said, but the words were too quiet to hold much conviction.

The Master laughed. “Of course you do, because why would I lie when the truth is so much _better?_ ” There was a pause and then the Master was reaching around Ianto, pressing against him and covering Ianto’s outstretched hand with his own. “It’s this one here,” he said softly, whispering into Ianto’s ear, placing Ianto’s hand on a red button and gently pressing it down. “There’s a lot I could teach you, Ianto Jones,” the Master didn’t pull back and Ianto felt frozen in place. The Master was pressed along the entire length of is body, he could feel his surprising lack of body heat, the beating of what actually might be more than one heart. He struggled not to close his eyes, because that would be a defeat. “I travel among the stars you know, time and distance mean nothing to me, and I need a companion. Someone I can show the end of stars and the birth of planets. Why monitor time when you _experience_ it?”

Ianto wanted to say something, to push the Master away but his voice was so soothing, and the questions about Jack that exploded in his mind kept him in place. He shook his head a little.

The Master lent down, resting his chin on Ianto’s shoulder and talking directly into his ear. “I will answer any question you ask of me, I would have no reason to lie to you, and I don’t even _drink_ coffee.”

Ianto felt a laugh escape despite himself, and felt it mirrored by the Master as his warm breath ghosted across his ear, just as Jack’s had what seemed to be a lifetime ago.

“Back. The fuck. Off,” Jack’s voice wasn’t loud. It probably wouldn’t have been as effective if it had been. 

The Master looked over at him and slowly stepped away from Ianto. “I was just showing Mr Jones here the ropes,” he said sweetly. He looked at Ianto. “Consider what I said,” he said seriously and turned and wandered off deeper into the TARDIS.

Ianto forced himself to look at Jack. He hadn’t been doing anything wrong, but he felt like he’d been caught in the middle of an illicit act. Jack was holding two mugs, and he looked concerned. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Ianto felt a wave of irritation. “No, he didn’t hurt me. I can look after myself for whole minutes at a time, as it happens.”

Jack frowned. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that he’s not what he seems.”

“Yeah,” Ianto said, looking away, “seems that it’s catching.”

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Interventions

 **Pairing:** Simm!Master/Ten!Doctor, Jack/Ianto

 **Author:** Buttercup

 **Contact:** Buttercupgaud@aol.com

 **Rating:** Let’s say R to be safe, but might be PG-13

 **Warnings:** None really. No spoilers for season 2 of TW, either.

 **Disclaimer:** I own none of these characters, they belong to Russel T and the beeb.

 **Summery:** The Doctor wakes up with a headache, which quickly becomes everyone at TW’s too. Doctor Who/Torchwood crossover. 

**Thanks:** Thanks to the wonderful Amy for beta reading this and being so encouraging. 

PART ONE.

PART TWO.

PART THREE

PART FOUR.

 

PART FIVE

Jack was genuinely scared of the Master. He was trying to keep Ianto safe because he cared for him, and that was why he was so adamant that they not be alone together. It was not because he was worried about what the Master might reveal about him to Ianto. Yes, Jack wasn’t exactly an open book, but as far as Ianto knew he’d never lied to him about his past. That was far more than Ianto could say in regards to himself. He and Jack were drawn together because of their flaws as much as their assets. They understood each other. The Master was the enemy, not Jack.

Ianto sighed. He was about ninety percent sure of all of that. Doubts were natural, but listening to someone who he hardly knew and letting it get in the way of something that Ianto wanted to believe could be very special was stupid. But… there was a certain appeal to the Master. Something oddly compelling and he knew that he hadn’t been lying about Jack’s age, or that there was a huge amount he could learn from him. But that’s what the devil was good at, right? Offering you exactly what you thought you wanted and then getting you kicked right out of the Garden of Eden.

Ianto shook his head and tried not to think about it. Working with technology he knew he didn’t have a clue how to use and yet knowing exactly how to make it work, took a surprising amount of concentration. There would be time to figure all this stuff out after they saved the universe, and if they didn’t, well, it would really matter either way.

****  
 _Why did you do that?_

The Master smiled. _You’re awake._

_You’re still thinking about him._

Now the Master was laughing. _Jealous, Doctor_? He let the memory of how Ianto had felt, pressed against him, surface. 

_Why are you playing games at a time like this? We don’t have the time or the energy for it_. The Doctor didn’t sound annoyed, but actually curious, but there was a shade of jealously there too. The Master felt a warm glow at the thought. _Oh don’t be so smug, I know how you feel whenever a Rose memory goes through the link, remember._

 _That’s repulsion, not jealousy._ The Master fiddled with a handle to a random door somewhere in the TARTDIS, that refused to open, his hands going to his jacket pocket before remembering he had no screwdriver, laser or otherwise. _If I can’t control the TARDIS I can at least control the one controlling her and if I can mess up the freak’s life while I’m at it, then I suppose I’ll just have to learn to live with the crushing guilt of it._

_Is it that important? To control everything? You can’t do it, and you only get yourself killed trying._

_I’m too polite to bring up any pots or kettles, but I am reminded of them for some unfathomable reason. And yes, it is that important, it’s everything. Do you remember my name, Doctor?_

There was the thought equivalent of a heavy sigh. _I’m finding it oddly hard to concentrate. I think the links starting to feed off my neural pathways._

The Master was not going to panic at that thought. He was going to laugh. He tried it out, not sure how convincing it was. _Turning into a vegetable, Doctor? Not very attractive, you’ll never get that second kiss you’re so desperate for._

_You’ll have to stop running from your fear of it, first, though, and I’m not sure you can. You’ve been running from what it might mean since we were children._

The Master sent a sharp stab of anger through the link, and felt the Doctor flinch in pain from the strong emotion. _Do not presume to understand me. You know nothing about what I fear._

_You can hurt and punish me all you want for it, but it won’t change anything. If we’re dying here-_

_We’re not. Your Captain and his ape will be swooping in to save you any moment now._

_But if we are, then maybe it’s time to stop running._

_Not yet, Doctor._ The Master gave up on the door, and sat down on the stairs that had led down to it. He closed his eyes and tried not to fall asleep. _The chase isn’t over yet. The drums are still driving us forwards._

_When are you going to stop running?_

The Master was nearly asleep now, his body fighting a winning battle with his mind. _Not yet, Doctor, I’ll tell you when._

****

“Ianto.” The Master’s voice made him jump a little, which he tried to cover by reaching for his coffee mug. It was cold, sighing he put it back down. “Is she ready?”

“Not sure, really, I think that we should be able to follow the link. Although, I’m going to try and set her down a little further away from the actual spot. Jack thought that it might be a good idea to try and find out what’s going on before we just swoop in, guns blazing.”

The Master looked at him for a long moment, as though trying to make up his mind about something. Ianto tried not to fidget. “You know that the link’s beginning to feed from our life-force? It’s practically a living being you see, we’re merely the hosts, very strong survival instincts.”

Ianto didn’t know what to say to that. “I had no idea.” He paused. “Are you okay? Are you in pain?”

The Master smiled brightly at him. “A little, nothing that I can’t handle. I just thought you might like to know all the facts, Jack knows a little about Time Lord physiology, and I didn’t imagine that you would.”

Tucking his hands into the pockets of his trousers, Ianto looked at his feet, scuffing the toe of his shoe along the floor. “So that was two hearts I felt, then?”

“Yes.” There was another pause. “What else do you want to know?”

Ianto wasn’t sure if he could ask the next question. He was sure it was a complete betrayal of Jack’s trust but he couldn’t help it. “Is Jack human?”

The Master narrowed his eyes a little. “Speciesist, are we?” 

Ianto smiled a little and shook his head. “No, but he never… And I was just wondering.”

The Master seemed to consider things. “He’s probably about as human as you could expect.”

Ianto frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Let’s just say he not exactly from around here.” The Master smiled again, and came to sit down next to him. “Come on, there must be something that you want to know that isn’t to do with Captain Mysteryo.”

Ianto half-smiled. “I don’t know what to say to that.” He thought about it and shrugged. “Where are you from?”

The Master sighed. “Nowhere, now I suppose.” He noticed Ianto’s puzzled expression and continued, “It’s gone, it was lost in a war.” He looked away for moment, seeming lost in memory. “It was the Doctor, actually, that destroyed it.”

Ianto stared at him for a long time. “The Doctor destroyed your home planet?”

“Not just mine, but mine was among them. I suppose you might liken it to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japan, an efficient end to a war, eliminating every participant.” Ianto tried to catch the Master’s eye, to give him some sort of comfort, but he wouldn’t look at him. The Doctor had seemed so… friendly, so willing to help that Ianto was having a hard time picturing him committing genocide. But, Jack had mentioned something about the Doctor and the Master being the last of their kind. Ianto was getting tried of feeling uncertain and off-balance. 

The Master sighed and shook his head. “Try again!” he said, clearly hoping to change both the mood and the subject.

Ianto put his head to one side as though seriously considering his next question. He grinned, and asked with mock severity, “Okay, how’s Wales going to do in the next world cup?”

The Master laughed and was about to answer when Jack came back from somewhere inside the TARDIS. He looked at them both for a moment, but didn’t say anything about the laughter. “We ready to head off?”

Ianto looked away from the Master and the smile dropped from his face. “Yeah, just about.”

“Then let’s get on with it.” Ianto pretended not to hear the note of annoyance in Jack’s voice. 

He closed his eyes, trying to let in the answer of how to actually fly the TARDIS. He smiled a little at the thought that he was about to fly an actual time machine. Although things had gotten better at Torchwood after he’d managed to pull himself together after Lisa, and Jack made more of an effort to get him out on field missions, it was still hard sometimes. There was no real job for him in the field, just another body in the event of things going wrong. Which they seemed to with an alarming regularity, so he’d end up being useful, but that wasn’t the same as having an actual role. 

Ianto’s movements were becoming more certain as he began to set the co-ordinates and tried to move fast enough to actually start the process of moving. He hurried around the console, trying not to let the fact that both Jack and the Master were watching him closely bother him. Finally there was a huge jerk and he felt the TARDIS begin to move. All three of them tried to hold on to something but Ianto and the Master both ended up rolling about on the floor. Ianto felt the Master knock into him, and automatically put out his hand to steady him. The Master took hold of his hand and when they finally stopped moving, they looked at each other. The Master grinned hugely at him and scrambled to his feet, dragging Ianto behind him. 

“Let’s see where we are!” he cried running toward the door. Ianto didn’t realise until his arm was yanked forcefully that the Master hadn’t let go of his hand. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought that he’d actually just flown a time machine and was about to step outside into a different time. Not to mention that the Master’s enthusiasm was infectious. He let himself to tugged along as they ran for the door to the TARDIS.

****

The Master stopped just short of opening the door. Jack was watching him and glaring. The Master felt his smile grow impossibly bigger. He squeezed Ianto’s hand in his, feeling a small mirror of the movement. This trip was turning out so much better than he could have hoped for. Despite the way his body was all but begging for more sleep, and the fact that the Doctor was still sleeping, even though the Master had mentally prodded him, he felt good. Such a relief to be out in the universe again, with a working TARDIS and the Doctor now all but his, there was nothing to stop him. A new Time Lord Empire. He could practically smell it, with him at the head and the Doctor to help run it. They would be unstoppable, but putting down rebellions was always fun, so he’d have to leave some hope. 

He hadn’t been able to understand why the Doctor hadn’t been thrilled about the prospect of starting a new Empire with him during the year that should have been. He could feel the desperation for a part of home singing from every part of the Doctor, and if they were as powerful as he knew they could become, the rules of time would mean nothing. They could stop the time war, go back to the very start of Gallifrey and create it anew. Anything was possible. Anything. 

Ianto’s hand was warm in his and he gently used it to support himself. The drums were making his head spin. He wondered if it might be his closer proximity to the Doctor, but that thought was muted by the hundred other thoughts all clamouring for attention, the foremost of which was how his head seemed to be about to split open.

“Are you alright?” Ianto was looking at him, concern etched on his face. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine,” he said, but his voice didn’t want to cooperate and it came out as a whisper. He shook his head. “I’m fine.” Louder now, and he strode toward the door. 

He enjoyed tugging Ianto behind him like a balloon, and only a part of it was the way he could feel Jack’s anger from all the way on the other side of the TARDIS where he was getting some sort of weapon. Maybe the Doctor really had been onto something, taking a human everywhere he went. It was oddly satisfying in the way they were so amazed by everything, so clueless that even the smallest trick appeared to be a magical feat. Besides, Ianto was able to fly the TARDIS and that made him actually useful. He turned back and graced him with a small smile. It was like when he’d first met Lucy. There was something very rewarding the seduction of a human. They were so… pliant. They wandered around not connected to anything, and the merest suggestion that they could be part of something bigger and they flocked to you. Quite extraordinary. The things he had managed to get them to do to one another. He could feel the need for a connection from Ianto, and he could also see that Jack wasn’t managing to _quite_ satisfy it. It was nearly enough, which in some ways was worse than nothing. A tiny crack was all the Master needed, he could apply a tiny amount of pressure and Ianto would fall into his lap. Literally, with any luck. He smiled at the thought of what he and the Doctor might get up to with a third party involved. He wondered how long it would take to convince the Doctor. Probably not long, the Doctor’s desire for any type of contact with him was painfully obvious.

That was if they didn’t die. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” He pushed open the door to the TARDIS gently and poked his head out. 

As it inevitably seemed to be in these situations, a clean, non-descript corridor was outside waiting for them. The Master gently pulled Ianto out behind him and after looking both ways chose one at random and set off in that direction.

_Is there any reason explaining why you’re pulling Ianto along like he’s a toddler?_

The Master grinned. _Awake finally, are you?_

_I’m getting weak._

_Weaker._ The Master corrected. _You were always weak._

_Why are you still holding his hand?_

_Because it annoys both you and the freak?_

_Or is it because you’re worried you’ll fall down otherwise?_

_Why are you asking when you know the answer?_

_I think that I enjoy the intonation of a question._

_Shut up, unless you have anything remotely useful to say._

“Where are we?” Ianto asked. He seemed to be trying to turn in a full circle, while walking forward and not letting go of the Master.

The Master pulled sharply on his hand, trying to get him to hurry forward. “It’s a corridor.”

Ianto, twisted again, looking behind him. “Do you recognise it, Jack?” 

Jack was holding the gun firmly, and he looked more serious than usual too. The Master rolled his eyes. “Playing toy soldiers, Jack?”

Jack didn’t respond, just fixed his eyes on Ianto. “No, although it does remind me of somewhere.”

Ianto paused. “Yeah,” he said slowly, “it’s really like-”

“Stay where you are, don’t move!” There were suddenly ten or so very well armed men in front of them all pointing automatic weapons in their direction. “Put down the weapon. Put it down, now!”

Jack hesitated for a moment, seemed to remember that everyone else but him could die and carefully placed in on the floor.

“Ah,” the Master said, smiling at the new arrivals, “there you are. Good. I was wondering when you’d get here.”

Through the ranks of the guns came a man in a well-fitted suit. He stood just behind the final two guns, and smiled at them. “Welcome back, Master,” he said politely.

The Master turned his head to the side and surveyed him. “Hello again.” He grinned at him. “And who are you?”

“Mr Taylor,” he said promptly. Possibly too promptly. 

_That’s probably not his real name._

_Shut up._

_Trying to help._

_It’d more helpful to let me think without your utterly pointless, not to mention, obvious, commentary._

The Master shook his head, trying in vain to clear it of the Doctor’s clutter and the drums. “Very well, Mr Taylor,” the Master said. He gestured at the weapons all still firmly trained on them. “Is this a very welcoming way to treat your guests? Maybe we could put the big nasty guns away now?”

Mr Taylor smiled in a way that suggested he wasn’t used to the action. “Can’t have you disappearing again now, can we?

The Master decided that he was going to kill this tiny little man just as soon as the opportunity arose. 

_Now, play nice._ The Doctor sounded genuinely concerned.

 _I never play nice, that’s one of my many brilliant features._

“And whom is it that owns these over-compensatory weapons?” he asked. Smiling a little at himself, he moved so that he was in front of Ianto. Funny, really, the way you could make humans believe you’d die for them with the tiniest of actions. Ianto was tense behind him, but not very scared. Impressive. 

_He’s not THAT impressive. Loads of humans I know wouldn’t be scared by this._

The Master smiled, and leaned into Ianto, enjoying how warm he was. He felt the Doctor huff and chuckled. He felt Ianto look at him, but shook his head.

Mr Taylor looked a little peeved at the jibe but answered in a neutral tone. “Torchwood’s.”

_Torchwood, I should have known. They’re never far from trouble._

_I think I’m starting to like them._

Jack was the first to speak. “Which Torchwood would that be?”

Mr Taylor looked at Jack for the fist time. “The Torchwood Institute for Research and Development.”

“Never heard of you,” Jack said. “But I’m guessing you’re the off-shot that remained after the Battle of Canary Wharf, that helped bring the Master back.”

“That’s correct, although,” Mr Taylor smiled unconvincingly again, “there have been some changes since then.”

The Master sighed.

_Annoyed that not everyone’s looking at you?_

He hated the Doctor’s knowing tone. Surely it shouldn’t even be possible for a thought to have a ‘tone’.

 _These are all things that we knew before we got here. Why are we wasting time?_ He could feel the Doctor getting weaker, he was trying to feed himself to the link, and while the Master was all for him being the one to be sacrificed, he was also aware that once the Doctor was finished, he was dead too. Time was slipping away and he needed to work out how to get them both out of here, and soon.

_I suppose that it never occurred to you that Jack didn’t believe you and he’s trying to find out for himself._

_Yes, it did, but that doesn’t make it any less of a waste of time._

The Master had had enough. “You mean that you’ve gotten more ambitious, you want to take over the universe using alien technology and Time Lord know-how. Blah blah blah. All very predictable and boring. This has been done before. _I’ve_ done this before and, if I say so myself, with a lot more class.”

Mr Taylor looked at him. “You failed,” he said, his tone suddenly ice-cold, “and we will not.”

“I’m confused,” Ianto said, he moved to stand by the Master’s side and glared at Mr Taylor. “Since when do Torchwood want to control the universe? They’ve always worked for someone else.” Ianto paused before realisation seemed to dawn. “You’ve been taken over.”

The Master laughed. “Of course! You’re hired guns. Alien guns, but guns all the same. Now, be a good man and tell me who you’ve been hired by.”

“I don’t know if you’ve realised, _Master_ ,” the sarcastic tone he used then, the Master decided, meant that his death would be slow. Some begging would be needed before he let him die, “but you are the one who is about to be taken prisoner again.” He motioned for the soldiers to move forward. “Now, come along quietly and I won’t have the other two killed.”

The Master raised his eyebrows at this. “Yes, about that. While, I do love a good bit of bondage as much as the next sociopath, I’m afraid that I don’t have the time right now.” He turned to see that they were now surrounded on both sides by soldiers. “Although, you can kill him.” He gestured with a flick of his head toward Jack. “Really, help yourself. I know I have countless times.”

“Err,” Ianto said, edging backwards a little, away from the cautiously advancing soldiers. “Now might be a good time for an escape.”

The Master paused for a moment. It would be ruined to just do it straight away. The tension was part of it. It’s got to look like it’s difficult, at least a little, otherwise everyone would think they could do it. 

“So,” he makes himself tense up, back away from the guns, “if we’re all trapped here, might as well tell us who it is you’re working for. I mean, I’ll be better able to help then.”

“I couldn’t tell you even if I did know,” Mr Taylor said, “our client’s identity is strictly confidential.” He smoothed his suit down.

_He’s lying._

_Yes, I KNOW._ The Doctor was worried. The Master can’t resist having a little dig to see who he was most worried about.

_Aww, sweet, you think I might get shot again. Not so worried about precious Captain Jack, then?_

_He can’t die, and he’s more than capable of looking after himself._

_And I’m not?_ “So,” the Master said out loud, “you’re not going to be any use then?” Mr Taylor just looked at him. The Master let out a rueful sigh. “That is a pity. Very well, come along Ianto.”

The world blurred at the edges for a moment and everything seemed to bend and then they were standing by the TARDIS. Ianto staggered a little, nearly pulling the Master over. They both reached out to steady themselves. 

There was gunfire in the distance. 

“Jack!” Ianto yelled and was already pulling away from the Master and trying to run towards the commotion. 

“Not that way!” the Master said firmly, not letting go of Ianto’s hand and instead pulling him inside the TARIDS before firmly shutting the doors behind them.

“You left Jack!” Ianto shouted seeming unsure for a moment whether to hit him or run back out of the TARDIS to find Jack.

The Master dropped Ianto’s hand and held up his own in mock defence. “I didn’t have a choice. He can’t die, remember, and we can. He can distract them for a moment.”

Ianto was staring at him like he’d never seen him before. “You’d let him get shot, _die_ , just so that we have a couple more seconds head start?”

The Master glared back. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist. We can go fetch him now. But I could only transport two of us with this.” He held up his hand and wiggled his fingers showing off his ring. “Does more than just bring me back from the dead, it can take me and a passenger to any TARDIS within a ten mile radius.”

Ianto hardly seemed to hear him. “Get Jack back.” When the Master just looked at him, Ianto ran at him, shoving him hard in the chest. “Now!”

_Don’t._

The Master had been about to launch himself at Ianto, the drums pounding in his head, but suddenly the Doctor’s voice was there, steadying him.

_He’s worried about Jack, and you shouldn’t have left him. Wasting time fighting will only drain what little energy we have._

_He’s more attached to the freak than I thought._ The Master panted for a moment before gathering himself. 

_You shouldn’t underestimate them. They’re capable of doing the most impossible of feats with the right motivation._

“That’s your job. See if you can’t fly the TARDIS to him, we can pick him up.”

Ianto was at the console before he’d finished speaking, his shaking hands flying over the leavers and buttons. The Master sighed a little. 

_Getting tired?_

The Master scowled. 

_Far too soon to be offing the old lover. Completely misunderstanding the person you’re trying to seduce. How very unlike you._

_I thought gloating at others’ failure was my thing. Feeling a little more evil today, Doctor? Perhaps corrupting you is my real plan._

The TARDIS jerked into life and they were moving towards Jack. “You get him, while I hold the TARDIS steady,” Ianto’s voice was cold, but firm. He didn’t look at the Master.

_Maybe, but if this is how good you are now you’re back from the dead, I’m not that worried. Back to square one, with Ianto, I think. Worse than square one, probably._

The Master stalked toward to door. He considered refusing, but there was little point in that. Jack would be useful later and the Master was not one to give up on any plan, despite set backs. Ianto would never forgive him unless there was now a dramatic save of the situation. 

_Shut up, Doctor, or I’ll kill everyone at Torchwood when this is over._

_You plan on doing that anyway. What I say will have little effect on that._

The Master wasn’t really sure what to make of that, but felt himself smile anyway. The TARDIS was hovering and there was definite sounds of gunfire from outside. The Master sighed heavily. “Have you put up the shields?”

Ianto scowled at him. “Of course.”

The Master threw the door open and saw Jack immediately in front of him. His T-Shirt was bloodied and covered in bullet holes. He looked a little like he had during the year that the Doctor stole. It was a rather pleasant sight. He threw himself, more dramatically than was probably necessary, to the floor of the TARDIS and reached out and grabbed hold of the nearest part of Jack. It happened to be his hair, but the Master pulled on that anyway, dragging him closer and taking hold of an arm before pulling him into the TARDIS. 

He looked up at Mr Taylor. “Think this belongs to me,” he said, with a huge smile. Then he let it drop from his face. “I’ll be back for you,” he said slowly.

Then he slammed shut the doors. Ianto was already taking them back to the Hub. The Master shoved Jack off his foot and sat back on his heels, and scowled. That had been a complete waste of time.

******

Ianto was leaning over him, looking worried. This was a much too familiar sight for Jack’s liking. When he opened his eyes Ianto breathed out and closed his eyes. They were still in the TARDIS but everything was quiet and they clearly weren’t moving. Maybe they were home.

“Bloody hell, Jack,” he said softly. “I’ve seen your dead body more than anyone should have to.”

Jack felt one side of his mouth quirk up. “Sorry about that,” he said. “Miss me?”

Ianto looked away. “We’re back at the Hub. The Master’s gone to see what he can find out about the Torchwood we met. He said something about getting the others to help. We should probably go check that they haven’t all killed each other.”

Jack’s smiled faded. “Ianto, are you okay?”

Ianto sighed. “Look, I’m sorry about leaving you behind, I didn’t know he was going to do that. And I’m sorry about before with-”

Jack sat up and shook his head. “Don’t, I know how the Master is. He has a way of getting in someone’s head.”

Ianto looked away. “Yeah, he does.” He shifted about. “It’s not him, though, not really.” He bit his lip. “It’s you.”

“Oh.” Jack felt suddenly deflated. He looked away from Ianto.

“How old are you, Jack?” Ianto said suddenly, in a rush.

Jack got the vague feeling of panic he always felt when his past was brought up. He shifted about. “What’s that got to do with anything?” The way Ianto was looking at him was beginning to worry him.

“I knew that you were older,” Ianto said, “but I mean… It’d never occurred to me that you might’ve had a bicentennial before.” 

Jack laughed a little, but didn’t find it funny. “And yet I look so damn good.”

Ianto was frowning at him. “Yeah, you do.” He smiled ruefully. “I didn’t realise how little I knew about you. There’s so much that you can’t tell me, and I understand that, but…”

“What do you want, Ianto?” Jack felt some anger creep into his voice. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now.

“To know something, _anything,_ about your past.” Ianto paced a little. “Like why can’t you die?”

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s a long story.”

Ianto threw up his hands. “It always is, or I can’t know, or it’s not important. What are you so afraid of telling me?”

Jack glared at him. “Look, I’ve been shot a whole heap today, Ianto, can you maybe save dumping me until at least a little later?” Jack was angry now. Not just with the Master for waltzing in and fucking everything up, but at Ianto too. He stood up and tried in vain to make himself look a little less like he’d been shot with automatic weapons.

“That’s just it, Jack,” Ianto said. “I didn’t even know we were together enough for me _to_ dump you.” He shook his head, looking a little confused. “The TARDIS thinks that you’re _wrong_ , she’s scared of you and don’t even know what happened to you. She might be right to be.”

Jack looked at him, feeling more and more angry. “Is this the right time for this? We have work to do. I don’t have the time to tell you my life story.” He walked toward the door, stopped and put his hands on his hips. “Is that it? Another guy shows you even the slightest hint of being interested and you’re off? Are you that desperate for someone to love you?”

Ianto opened his mouth, looking utterly stunned. Then the shutters came down. His face lost all trace of emotion. “Fuck you, Jack,” he said slowly. He began to walk towards the door. 

Jack reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. His fingers dug in more roughly than he’d intended, but he didn’t lose them. “Look, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Ianto looked at him as though he were a stranger. It hurt a lot more than Jack would have thought. “It doesn’t matter. You’re right, we don’t have time.”

“Ianto,” Jack’s voice came out a little rough and tight. “I _can’_ t tell you everything.”

Ianto shook his head. “No, but you don’t want to tell me anything. I don’t know anything about you.” Ianto looked sad. “I’d follow you anywhere, Jack.” He locked eyes with him. “To the end of the universe if you asked. But I can’t…” he sighed, dropped the eye contact. 

Jack felt like he’d been punched. “You can’t,” he repeated.

Ianto made the smallest motion with his head, barely shake, like he wasn't sure he really wanted to do it. “Too scary,” he tried to smile.

Jack nodded and let go of him. Ianto looked as though he were about to speak but changed his mind and left the TARDIS instead. Jack waited for a couple of minutes before walking over the nearest object that wasn’t nailed down and hurling it at the wall. 

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Interventions

 **Pairing:** Simm!Master/Ten!Doctor, Jack/Ianto

 **Author:** Buttercup

 **Contact:** Buttercupgaud@aol.com

 **Rating:** Let’s say R to be safe, but might be PG-13

 **Warnings:** None really. Mild spoiler for ep1, now.

 **Disclaimer:** I own none of these characters, they belong to Russel T and the beeb.

 **Summary:** The Doctor wakes up with a headache, which quickly becomes everyone at TW’s too. Doctor Who/Torchwood crossover. 

**Thanks:** Thanks to the wonderful Amy for beta reading this and being so encouraging. 

PART ONE   
PART TWO   
PART THREE   
PART FOUR   
PART FIVE

 

Ianto emerged from the TARDIS looking a little confused and pale. The Master half smiled and pretended not to notice. The other side of the smile appeared when there was the distant sound of something hitting a TARDIS wall. Tosh looked worriedly over her shoulder towards the TARDIS. Ianto pretended not to notice and wandered off in the direction of the coffee machine. Gwen followed him. 

“So, what exactly should I be looking for?” Tosh asked, after it seemed that the crash was a one-off and no one else mentioned it. 

The Master paused for a second, his hands going to his head, trying to shake off the feeling that the drums were actually going to fall right out of his skull. “Anything about the Torchwood Institute for Research and Development, especially any indication of where it’s funding might have come from. Start the search from the moment that I became Prime Minister.”

Tosh nodded and began doing just that. Owen leaned back on his chair and looked at the Master.

“You planning on explaining how it is that an alien became Prime Minister, and how you’re not dead?” he asked. The Master appreciated that Owen was able to make nearly all of his utterances seem like he was half annoyed, half amused, despite himself. It was a lot of intonation to fit into any sentence. 

“No,” he replied, staggering a little as he turned toward Jack’s office. He needed to lie down, try to get the drums under control. They’d been so much worse since the entrenchment. Although, that might have been part of the design, to keep himself and the Doctor occupied so they didn’t find a way to escape. Jack’s office was too far. There were some sofas a little closer. They looked very inviting. 

_Are you alright?_

_Shut UP. If I want your sympathy I shall ask for it. I just need to lie down. The drums…_

_I know. I’ve been trying to block them, but I can’t keep it up._

The Master chuckled. _I hope that’s not a common theme with you. Our honeymoon will be one long disappointment at this rate._

He could feel the Doctor blush, which was lovely. He was nearly at the sofas when his legs decided that they’d had enough and he toppled over.

_Ow._

_Oh, just shut up. Get out of my head._

_If only I could._

Ianto had somehow appeared by his side and was lifting him up. He turned to try and smile at him, but Ianto was firmly not looking at him, and wasn’t being exactly gentle as he deposited him on the sofa. He hovered for a moment, his desire to help battling with his anger. The Master would have enjoyed it more if his eyes had been open to see it, but as soon as he’s lay down, his eyes were closed. He couldn’t sleep. The pounding in his head was far too distracting, as was the feeling of the Doctor’s worry. But it did feel nice to be able to close them anyway. 

_Who’s doing this?_ The Doctor sighed.

_I have no idea. We could make some sort of list containing all our enemies, but I don’t think there’s enough time left in the galaxy for that._

_We could think about those with enough money to buy out Torchwood._

_Oh shut up and let the lackeys get on with it. That’s what they’re there for._

_They’ve started to shut down the link from the cell._

_They’ll be working on making a new one, so they can bring me back._

_How do you know?_

_Because that’s what I’d do._

_Of course. We’d better hurry before they close it completely._ When there was no reply, the Doctor continued. _So, you got your way with Jack and Ianto. Happy now?_

The Master smiled. _Nearly. All I have to do now is bring Ianto round to my way of thinking._

The Master revelled in the Doctor’s feeling of hurt and disappointment at his pettiness. _Why bother? You don’t even want Ianto sexually._

_Says who? I’ve been dead before goodness knows how long, my husband’s an incapacitated eunuch and I don’t see why I can’t play with the humans. Besides angry pay-back sex is the best type of sex._

There was a very long silence.

_I’m not a eunuch. I just don’t feel the need to mix bodily fluids with everyone I meet._

_Okay, Doctor. How long did you pine over that Rose girl and do NOTHING about it? Pathetic._

_It wasn’t like that. I loved her._

The Master felt odd for a moment. Not angry, exactly, but… disappointed, maybe. Or hurt. Which, inevitably, led him back to angry. _I cannot wait to escape this entrenchment. Having you in my head is worse than I could have even begun to imagine._

There was a sense of satisfaction from the Doctor that the Master couldn’t understand. Then, _I think that whoever’s taken over Torchwood has to be human. The way it’s all based around Earth like this._

_There is something rather small about the plan. I mean, why have they captured us and then done nothing? If there was some big plan we’d have been put to work right away. Not left alone to workout an escape._

_Hmmm, someone who wanted to keep us locked up._

There was a sudden thrill running through the Doctor, and the proverbial light bulb exploded into life.

 _Van Statten_.

_Who now?_

_Henry van Statten, but how? He doesn't even know I exist yet, and yet it seems just like him... Get Tosh to run a check on him._

_Who. Is. Henry. Van. STATTEN?_ The Master was never one to take orders, full stop, let alone follow them blindly.

_Alright, no need to shout. A multibillionaire that I met a few years ago. Hang on._

There were the memories, Rose, a Dalek, some idiot of an American. Killing Rose. The Master smiled. Rose still being alive. Not being able to kill her again. The Master’s smile turned into a scowl. 

_You’re utterly weak and pathetic._

_But it's impossible._

_Have you ever noticed that you use that word a lot, after the apparently impossible has already happened? Perhaps you need to find a more accurate saying?_

_You're not helping. This reeks of him but I don't..._

The Master sighed. _There's no chance he got hold of time travel technology? The best place to hide would be before he ever met you_

_YES! That's brilliant._

_Yes, I am, rather._

_Stop gloating and just find out if he managed to escape having his memory erased and somehow turned up here?_

The Master tried to stand up. _Maybe I should have a little rest_.

_We don’t have the time for that. Get up._

_I can’t_.

_Oh. Oh dear. Get Ianto._

_No way_.

_Get him._

_No._

“Ianto!” The Master’s eyes flew open. _How did you do that? How DARE you?_

_Sorry, you were distracted._

Ianto was standing next to the sofa, not looking happy. His arms were folded over his chest and his eyes were narrowed. “Yes?”

“Nothing,” the Master said, trying to smile, but he knew it looked more like a pained grimace. “Just wanted to see your gorgeous eyes.”

Ianto sighed heavily. He probably got enough of that from Jack. “I get enough of this from Jack.” 

_Heh._

Ianto tapped his foot impatiently. “Did you want something or not?”

“No,” the Master said, then found himself saying, “Yes.”

_Stop it, I can handle this myself._

_No you can’t_

“Well, which is it? Yes or no?” Ianto was frowning, but it looked a little more like concern now.

The Master sighed and gave up. “I can’t move.”

“What?” Ianto crouched down and peered closely at him. “Can’t move how?”

“I mean, that I am currently challenged in the standing up area.”

Ianto looked over his shoulder long enough to call, “Owen!” before turning back to him. “Can you move at all?”

“Yes,” the Master replied, managing to lift his head. “Not sure I have the energy for much more than that.”

“What?” Owen asked, now standing next to Ianto, looking between him and the Master.

“There’s something wrong with the Master, can you take a look at him, try to find out what’s wrong with him?” Ianto asked.

Owen shrugged. “I don’t know what’s right with him, but I can have a go,” he said, already going to retrieve some of his instruments. 

Ianto’s hands went to his waist, moving his jacket out of the way. He was obviously worried. The Master thought idly that he might not be quite at square one after all. 

“I’ll leave you with Owen, then,” he said, when Owen was back and crouching down to start his examination.

“Ianto,” the Master said. Ianto turned back, and raised his eyebrows. “Will you stay? Just for a bit?”

_Oh, oh, that’s ridiculous! He’s not going to fall for that!_

Ianto hovered for a moment. The Master tried to look ill, which wasn’t too much of a stretch at that moment. Then Ianto nodded and wandered back and sat on the other sofa.

_You’ve got to be kidding._

_But I just look so cute and vulnerable. He can’t resist._

_You’re a joke. What about van Statten? The longer we’re just lying about the more likely it becomes that he’ll find a way of taking you again._

_Oh fine._

“I need Tosh to find out anything she can about one Henry van Statten,” the Master said, interrupting Owen’s prodding’s by squirming to look at Ianto.

“Who’s he?” Ianto asked.

“Someone the Doctor pissed off a few years ago, or in a few years, I guess. Anyway, he had the resources and the desire to do something like this. Just see if there's anything unusual surrounding him within the last couple of years.” Ianto just nodded and got up and went to Tosh. But he came back after a while and sat back down.

_This is unbelievable._

_You mean I’M unbelievable._

_You think that’s a good thing._

_Naturally._

“What’s the story, Doc?” the Master asked after a few silent minutes. 

Owen lifted one eyebrow at this. “As far as I can tell, you’re suffering from exhaustion. Although this is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, if you were human you’d be dead. You should try and get some sleep, I can give you something to help.”

“I don’t really have time for sleep,” the Master pointed out. “I’m going to die soon, with or without sleep. Perhaps you could give me some adrenaline or something? A little pick-me-up?”

Owen looked uncomfortable. “I’m not really sure what that’d do to you, it’s as likely to overload your system and kill you as it is to help you stand up.”

The Master grinned ruefully. “Not much choice but to try.”

_I don’t like this. It’s a stupid risk. Just try getting some sleep instead._

_Worried, Doctor?_

_Yes! We have time for a nap at least._

“Let’s do it, I understand the risks.” He looked at Ianto. “We’re going to have to move quickly after the injection, I won’t have long.”

Ianto nodded. “I’ll go and see what Tosh’s found out.”

Owen reached into his bag and filled a needle. “You didn’t strike me as the hero type,” he said casually. 

“Full of surprises, me,” the Master replied with a grin.

“What’s your game with Ianto?” Owen asked in the same casual voice. “He’s been hurt quite enough. If you’re trying to mess with his head-”

The Master raised his eyebrows. “And what would you be planning on doing about it?”

Owen looked at him for a long moment. “Let’s just say that you’re the one lying helpless on the sofa, and I’m the one with a big needle.”

The Master grinned. “Spunky, I like spunky.”

Owen sighed and pulled up the Master’s sleeve with a little more force that was needed. 

_Be careful._ The Doctor warned. _See what you’re getting into? And all for a petty game._

_But such fun. I nearly have him where I want him._

_And then what?_

_I haven’t decided._

There was a long pause. _That’s it, isn’t it? You don’t have a plan passed getting what you want. I guess it’s lucky that you never manage to quite get it; you wouldn’t know what to do next._

Tosh chose that moment to call out. “I have him. Henry van Statten. He was bought out a couple of years ago, but then all of his assets seem to have ended up in the same place. All under a new name and with most them hidden by dummy companies.”

“Can you find out where he is? If we can get to him?” Owen asked.

Ianto shook his head. “I think we should forget about him, for now. We can deal with him later. We need to get the Doctor back, otherwise both he and the Master are going to die.”

“I don’t know why we didn’t do it sooner,” the Master sighed.

Ianto looked at him, his expression unreadable. “Jack wanted to make sure you were telling us the truth. He doesn’t like flying blind. None of us do.”

The Master nodded and gestured at Owen. “Come on, let’s get on with it.”

“I’ll go and get the TARDIS ready,” Ianto paused half-way toward it. “Then I’ll come back and help you get over to her.”

 _Master, please, think about this._ The Doctor sounded urgent, like he had on the phone what seemed like a thousand years ago. It was pleasant. 

Owen hesitated but at the Master’s nod, he plunged the needle into his arm. There was no reaction for a moment and then the Master’s body seemed to explode with pain. He let out a bellow of pain and sat up. Panting he fell forward onto the floor. The drums crashed in his head, and he couldn’t feel the Doctor, which was oddly terrifying for reasons he didn’t want to even think about. He knelt on the Hub’s floor, panting and feeling the blood pump through his veins at a speed that he’d never imagined possible. 

Ianto was knelt beside him, pulling him up by his elbow, and all but dragging him to the TARDIS.

“Ianto,” he panted, “I don’t think that was the best idea I’ve ever had.”

Ianto didn’t say anything, just propelled him into the TARDIS. He sat him down on the seat next to the console and began setting switches and pulling leavers. Jack was leaning against the wall, looking very unhappy indeed. This cheered the Master considerably. 

He still couldn’t feel the Doctor. 

The thought that the shock of the adrenaline might have killed him presented itself. The Master looked at it in his mind’s eye before scowling and shoving it away. No. He wasn’t about to lose out on having the Doctor’s mind at his disposal, to play with as he wished. The Doctor wasn’t dead. He would not allow it. 

“Is anyone going to point out that we have no actual plan?” Jack said. He sounded like he had at times during the year that should have been. It seemed that the Master was pushing all the right buttons. 

“We use the link to take the TARDIS to where the Doctor is, rescue him and then we leave,” the Master said. 

“Because, I suppose, I didn’t think of that?” Jack growled. “It’s not that simple. The link’s the only way into the cell and the TARDIS won’t fit down it.”

“Then we go to van Statten. Make him take us to the Doctor.” That was Ianto.

“No,” the Master said. God, this hurt more than anything he’d experienced. It felt like he was being stretched and squashed all at once. “I can shrink the TARDIS, make it seem like there’s only one of us, we only need to be there long enough to get to him. I don’t think I have the energy for anything else.”

“But she won’t let you anywhere near her, how will you do that?” Ianto asked pointedly.

“Fine, I’ll do the calculations, you feed them into the TARDIS,” he sighed. 

As he set about trying to do just that, his thoughts were still chasing themselves around and around his head. Where was the Doctor? Why couldn’t he feel him in his head? It might be too late. There never seemed to be enough time. 

Dimly he held out a sheet of paper with an equation on it that he didn't remember writing.

Why did he have to try to control everything all at once? Why had he bothered toying with Jack and his boy-toy when he could have been securing his hold over the Doctor? Always too ambitious, always got him into trouble. Showing off for the Doctor. Ha! He was getting maudlin. Turning into the Doctor. Maybe they’d have ended up meeting in the middle. The Doctor a little less pure, and he little less… What? Evil? Spiteful? He couldn’t think. Not with the drums pounding so loud. 

The TARDIS moving. After a long moment he got up and staggered to the door, and hauled them open.

Jack was shouting in the background, but it didn’t matter, he needed to reach the Doctor as soon as he could. Clinging to the door frame, he watched the vortex. It seemed beautiful, he didn’t remember thinking that before, but it was. Infinite, touching everything, everywhere all at once. He smiled, then there was another jolt as the TARDIS leapt from the vortex and there was a tiny cell.

The Doctor.

Sprawled out on the floor. The Master was reaching out for him, but he couldn’t reach. Ianto couldn’t come all the way out of the vortex otherwise they wouldn’t be able to leave, but the Master couldn’t reach the Doctor. His fingers strained trying to get a little closer, but he couldn’t. 

Then Jack was stood behind him, grabbing hold of his belt and shoving him forward. He tilted out the TARDIS, swinging madly in the gust the vortex was creating in the cell, but his fingers brushed over the Doctor’s suit. He laughed a little. Swung forward further, feeling Jack tip forward and try to find a better footing. 

The TARDIS started beeping shrilly. “I think we’ve been detected,” Ianto called. “We need to leave, or they might shut down the link altogether.”

The Master could feel the Doctor’s suit in his hands and he gripped as hard as he could and hauled him upwards. Jack began trying to pull them both up, and somehow they were all suddenly sprawled in a heap on the floor of the TARDIS.

The Master managed to blink and feel the Doctor, noting the double beat of his pulse before he toppled forward into the welcoming blackness. 

****

The TARDIS. The Doctor felt her before he’d even opened his eyes. They were mid-flight and by the feel of it someone was hot on their tail. He jumped to his feet or, more accurately, lurched there and found one of Jack’s Torchwood team, clinging to the console. He seemed to be doing a pretty adequate job of flying her, but that didn’t stop him from staggering over to him.

“Hello,” he said, and smiled, fumbling in his pockets for his glasses and putting them on. “Being followed are we?” He looked at the man currently flying the TARDIS. “Ianto, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Ianto said, nearly falling over as the TARDIS jerked violently. They both went for the same leaver to steady themselves. “Sorry,” the Doctor said.

The thought that he’d experienced holding that hand before startled him. 

The Master. 

He looked around frantically for a moment before seeing his body on the floor, near the doors. He allowed himself a moment to check that his chest was still rising and falling before acknowledging that Jack was now standing next to him.

“Hello, Captain, good to see you again.”

Jack smiled at him. “And you, Doctor. Now, can we try and lose the hangers-on?”

The Doctor grinned and set about trying to do just that. He waited for a moment, but found that the TARDIS was still talking to Ianto. Then everything clicked gently into place. There she was in his mind, both rejoicing at their reuion. 

Ianto staggered backwards as the TARDIS cut her link to him. The Doctor grinned at him and clung to the railing around the console and concentrated on the readouts. 

“We should set her down a little way from the Hub,” he said. “Just in case we haven’t managed to completely shake them.”

Ianto nodded and together they managed to land her, just outside the Bay area. 

The Doctor was at the Master’s side before they’d fully stopped moving. He ran his hand over the Master’s face, and smiled a little sadly. “Time to wake up, I think.”

He felt forward through their link, finding the Master and gently prodding him awake. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

The Master’s eyes began to flutter open, but the Doctor’s hands were already on his face and he was pushing forward with all his might, diving deeper into the Master’s mind. As soon as he realised what was happening the Master began to struggle, push back, but it was too late. The Doctor opened up the link as far as it would go, poured everything of himself through and rode the wave of consciousness into the very centre of the Master’s mind. Tried not to notice everything that was there, all the memories, half-formed ideas, everything the Master was, is, could have been, will be, all there for the taking, but he ignored it. Just the drums. He had to find them. 

Someone was screaming. It might have been him. Or the Master. He thought it was probably both. Then suddenly there they are, the pulsing life force at the very centre of the Master, and he walled them up. Wrapped himself around them again and again, so that they couldn’t move, couldn’t beat. He realised then that the Master would never forgive him for this, that this invasion is probably the worst thing that he’d ever done.

But he didn’t stop. 

He noticed that there was silence. The link was so open that there was nothing left to come through it. He pulled back from the link, and away from the Master just in time to receive the punch he knew he had coming. 

The Master scrambled away from him. “How dare you! How dare you!” he screamed.

The Doctor didn’t move for a long time. He just let the Master’s rage wash over him, like he deserved it. Which he thought he probably did. “I’m sorry,” he said when the Master stopped shouting. “There was no other way.”

The Master looked so furious that he could barely stand to look at him. “You could have asked.”

“No, I couldn’t. You wouldn’t have let me, and I had to. I couldn’t risk us losing our minds, being able to be controlled, or you being able to control me.” The Doctor used the pretence of getting up in order to look away from the Master’s rage. It was cowardly, but it felt good to be only able to feel the rage rather than see it too. 

Ianto was staring wide-eyed at them both. Jack seemed to have grasped what had just happened and looked serious, but not overly bothered. He probably thought of it as some kind of payback. Trying not to be angry about that, the Doctor wandered over to the TARDIS console. 

“We were followed,” he said, hoping he at least didn’t sound as relieved as he felt for the distraction.

The Master didn't say anything, he just paced up and down, looking pale and shaky. Jack was by the Doctor’s side within a moment and looking at the screen. “What have we got?”

“A whole heap of trouble,” Ianto replied coming to stand on the other side of the Doctor. He kept casting furtive looks at the Master. 

The Doctor felt the Master scrabbling around inside his head, trying to find some way to close the link again. The Doctor tried to ignore it, while at the same time trying to show how sorry he was, and concentrate on what might be about to appear in the middle of Cardiff. He needed to sleep.

The Doctor frowned. “Looks like there are soldiers on the way. Lots of them.”

Jack sighed. “I doubt it’ll take them long to figure out where the Hub is, not if they managed to follow us this far. We’d better get prepared.”

The Doctor nodded and they headed out of the TARDIS. The Master followed them out, much to the Doctor’s surprise. Jack stopped, turned to face the Master and planted his hands on his waist. “He’s not coming in the front way.”

The Doctor sighed. “Jack,” he said, the tone in his voice a warning, and a plea.

But Jack didn’t change his stance. The Master didn’t speak, but watched Jack, his eyes flashing dangerously. 

“Don’t worry,” Ianto said. “I’ll take him down the other way. We’ll meet you in there.” He paused, looking a little uncertain. 

The Master left a long enough pause to make everyone think that he was going to refuse before he nodded once. Ianto lead the way and Jack waited a moment before heading in the other direction.

“We need to find whoever’s behind this and make them call off the attack,” he was saying as the Doctor hurried to catch up with him. “We can probably hold them off, but not indefinitely.”

The Doctor nodded, not really hearing him. 

“Doctor,” Jack said, then, more forcibly, “ _Doctor_.” The Doctor looked at him. “I know what just happened must have been… but, we have to do this now.”

The Doctor sighed. “We’re going to find out where Henry van Statten is and we’re going to stop him.”

Jack looked at him for a long moment, like he was sizing him up, before he nodded once and swept away towards the Hub.

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Interventions

 **Pairing:** Simm!Master/Ten!Doctor, Jack/Ianto

 **Author:** Buttercup

 **Contact:** Buttercupgaud@aol.com

 **Rating:** Let’s say R to be safe, but might be PG-13

 **Warnings:** None really. Mild spoiler for ep1 series 2, now.

 **Disclaimer:** I own none of these characters, they belong to Russel T and the beeb.

 **Summary:** The Doctor wakes up with a headache, which quickly becomes everyone at TW’s too. Doctor Who/Torchwood crossover. 

**Thanks:** Thanks to the wonderful Amy for beta reading this and being so encouraging. 

PART ONE   
PART TWO   
PART THREE   
PART FOUR   
PART FIVE   
PART SIX

 

PART SEVEN

Ianto was looking sideways at the Master and trying to pretend he wasn’t. A technique he’d acquired very quickly after joining Torchwood. It paid to know what was going on around you, while also not letting people know you knew. The Master still looked pale, and shaken. He couldn’t really work out what had happened, apart from the fact that the Doctor had obviously attacked him, and done something that had hurt them both. A _lot_.

He wasn’t exactly sure what to say and so he didn’t say anything, just motioned for the Master to stand next to him on the invisible lift. When the lifted started he stumbled a little, and the Master put his hand out to steady him. As they slowly began to descend he noticed that the Master was shaking a little. This time he turned to look at him. “Are you...?” he let the sentence trail off, not sure what he was asking.

“I’m fine.” The Master waved a trembling hand dismissively.

Ianto nodded. “So, how about our invisible lift? Nifty, no?”

The Master half smiled. “Primitive toy.”

Ianto leaned in conspiratorially. “There’s nothing wrong with a good toy.”

The Master looked a little taken aback for a moment before attempting another smile. “Ianto Jones,” he said, mock shock in his voice, “are you flirting with me?”

Ianto shrugged and pulled back. “The Jack Harkness all purpose pick-me-up, I learned from the best.” 

The Master sighed. “What makes you think I’m in need of a pick-me-up?” 

They were nearly at the end of the lift’s journey now. “Only that you look like you’ve been about ready to drop dead since you arrived.”

“You do know how to flatter a man,” the Master said, reaching out and squeezing Ianto’s arm.

Ianto nodded. “Like I say, I learned from the best.”

Jack was just leading the Doctor in through the front entrance and Gwen took one look at the expression on Jack’s face and hurried forward. “Jack,” Gwen said, her eyes wide, and obviously anxious, “what’s going on?”

“We need to get ready for the Hub to be attacked.” Jack was already heading towards the weapons locker. 

There was a long moment where Gwen, Owen and Tosh just stared at him. Then Owen was running towards the weapon locker himself. 

Tosh spun around on her chair to face her computer. “I’ll bring online all of our defences, I’ve been modifying a couple of them. I noticed that some of the tunnels were more open to attack, and I’ve added a few nasty surprises down there.”

Ianto raised his eyebrows. “Were you planning on telling the guy who spends most of his time down there, this? Or were you going to wait until I come back up with an axe embedded in my skull?”

“They’re not on most of the time,” she said. Then grinned. “Besides, there aren’t any axes.”

“Well, I feel much better,” Ianto muttered as he headed off toward the archives. “I’m going to fetch some of the protocols on what to do in the event of a breach of the Hub.”

He was barely out of the main area when Jack had caught up with him. “You okay?” Jack asked, and Ianto noted the way that he was keeping an unusual amount of distance from him. Normally he couldn’t keep Jack out of his personal space. He tried not to let it bother him.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “What the hell happened? What did the Doctor do?”

Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “He… It’s hard to explain.”

Ianto looked at him. “Then try.”

“The Doctor opened up the mental link between himself and the Master and poured himself through it. The Master’s always been able to hear these… drums. They’ve been part of what makes him so…”

“Hyper?” Ianto offered.

“Insane,” Jack finished. “The Doctor used his own mind to stop them.”

“So he was helping him?” Ianto dropped his voice to a whisper, not sure that they should really be talking about this. “Only it didn’t exactly look like that from where I was standing.”

Jack looked uncomfortable. “Try to imagine it, the Doctor opened up the Master’s mind completely, and planted a part of himself in there. There’s now no way that the Master can either close the link or get rid of the Doctor. The drums have stopped but they’ve been replaced with the Doctor.”

“And the Doctor didn’t even ask?” Ianto shifted, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable himself. “He violated the Master’s mind,” he said slowly.

Jack shook his head. “He didn’t have a choice, the drums were dangerous, not just to the Master but to the Doctor too. He had to stop them and that was the only way. He couldn’t wait for the Master to give his permission, even if there was a chance that he’d give it, which he probably wouldn’t.”

Ianto frowned. “So it’s okay just to violate someone’s mind? You know, Jack, it’s not all that different to-”

“Don’t,” Jack said. “The Doctor did what had to be done.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Ianto noticed that they’d both changed posture, they were tense and glaring at each other. “Have you ever done something like that?”

Jack blinked and looked away. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“It’s got everything to do with it.” Ianto hissed, trying not to raise his voice and attract attention to them. “You’ve been so edgy since the Master got here, what are you so worried about his telling us?”

“Nothing!” Jack hissed back. “It’s not about _me_. It’s about _him_. Why have you been so easily taken in by him?”

Ianto rolled his eyes. “I haven’t! This isn’t about him. This is about the fact that you expect to share everything of me but nothing of you. There’s nothing you don’t know about me. Everything about my past, Lisa, all of it. What do I actually know about you? Nothing, but what someone else has told me. I know that you’re probably nearly 200, I know that you used to be a con-man. I know that you love the Doctor. But you told me none of it.” 

Jack was shaking his head and gritting his teeth. “Why does it matter? Who I am now is what matters. If you don’t care about that, then what does any of what I’ve done before matter?”

Ianto tried not to actually shake him. He took a deep breath. “Sometimes I can see you,” he said slowly, “there are moments in the field were I see this… darkness, and I _know_ that some of the things you’ve done must be terrible. But then I’ll see you with Estelle or something I know that you’ve got so much love and I…” Ianto sighed.

Jack pursed his lips. “I don’t have time for this now.”

He began to pull away, but Ianto reached out and grabbed his arm, keeping him in place. “I just want _something_ here.”

“Why don’t you ask the Master?” Jack growled, pulling his arm free. “You seem to believe everything he says, and you two looked pretty close ealier.”

Ianto shook his head. “Fine,” he turned away, “I’ll bring up the protocols.”

He could feel Jack watching him but didn’t turn back.

****

Owen had managed to get out all of the weapons Torchwood had and was laying them out on his desk. Jack frowned. “Think you’ve got enough weapons, Owen?”

“You can never be too careful,” he answered, frowning at an alien weapon. 

The Doctor was suddenly standing next to him, reaching out and carefully taking it away from him. “Ah,” he said, “that’s loaded and you’re pointing it at yourself.”

Owen raised his eyebrows. “Huh.” Then he picked up another one.

“And that’s a Cilerian drill.” The Doctor took this away from him too.

The Master sighed. “It’s amazing you haven’t all killed yourselves. And a shame, of course.”

Owen glared at him over his shoulder, picked up another one. “How about this?”

“That?” the Doctor replied, “That’s a gun. But one that would blow a hole in the Hub the size of Cardiff.”

Owen nodded. “So, I’ll just label this one, ‘For Emergency Only’, then, shall I?”

Jack half smiled. “Okay, listen up, we need to find out where van Statten is, and the Doctor is going to go and try to stop him. Meanwhile we’re going to try and keep his soldiers occupied.”

“We’re the distraction?” Owen asked. “I hate being the distraction.”

“But you’re so good at it,” Gwen said, then looked embarrassed and cleared her throat. “Do we have any idea where this van Statten might be?”

Jack shook his head. “Only from where Torchwood is located and from what Tosh was able to dig up.”

The Doctor was pacing and looking tired. If he were being honest, Jack had never seen the Doctor look tired. He’d seen him worried, scared, but never so tired. He was not looking at the Master. In fact he was not looking at him so hard he may as well have been be staring at him. 

“I don’t think he’d be too far from his prize pieces,” he said after a moment. “He likes everything where he can see them.”

The Master folded his arms over his chest slowly, narrowing his eyes. Jack didn’t think he would ever despise anyone as much as he did the Master. What the Doctor had done was wrong, there was no way around that. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t necessary. He did what needed to be done to keep everyone as safe as they could be. Jack knew, though, that this meant the Entrenchment was permanent. There was no going back, and their link was now so strong that the death of one was the death of the other. Jack also knew that this wouldn’t stop him from protecting his team, and Earth from the Master any way he could. He knew the Doctor knew this too. He was probably counting on it.

“We should pay him a little house visit,” the Master said. 

The Doctor didn’t look at him when he replied. “Yes. It’s the only way. We’ll have to go back to the base and find him. When we’re there I might be able to get into the computers do a scan of the whole place, find van Statten and see what else he’s got hidden there.”

“You have to find a way of putting them out of business altogether this time,” Jack pointed out. “Can’t have such dangerous guns for hire hanging about.”

“Not to mention that they’re giving us a bad name,” Ianto said, appearing out the archives, holding a number of different files. “Are we ready for the final stand?”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Thanks for that, Ianto,” she said.

Ianto merely shrugged. Jack could see the change in him, he was pulling back from everyone again. Maybe hiding his hurt. Or perhaps he was getting ready to leave. The Master had asked Ianto to come with him. Jack was sure of that. It was just the type of spiteful thing the Master would do. Several possible ways that he could force Ianto not to leave all ran in quick succession through his head. He pushed them away. It wasn’t up to him. If Ianto truly wanted to leave it wasn’t Jack’s place to stop him. The Doctor would be there to protect him the best he could. It wasn’t up to Jack. He swallowed a few times. The thought of the Hub without Ianto was bleak. He blinked and looked away. 

“They’re coming,” Tosh said suddenly, breaking his thoughts.

The Doctor looked up at Tosh. “Is there another way out?”

“I’ll show you,” Ianto said.

Jack opened his mouth to stop him, but closed it again. It wasn’t up to him. The Master smiled at Ianto and gestured for him to lead on. The Doctor gave him an unreadable look before following behind him.

“We’ll give you as much time as we can,” Jack said to their retreating forms. 

The Doctor looked back at him for a moment. Jack had a sudden rush of emotion for him. Standing there between the Master and Ianto and looking so alone. More alone than ever, and Jack’s heart ached for him. But the Doctor was nodding at him and turning around to leave before Jack had a chance to say anything.

After they’d disappeared, Jack sighed and looked at his team. “Let’s get ready,” he said.

*****

The Doctor was darting about the TARDIS, grinning and spouting a running commentary that wasn’t needed. “Are you going to look at me, during any of this?” the Master asked conversationally.

The Doctor tensed a little, his movements slowed. He looked up, meeting the Master’s eye, although he seemed reluctant. He pursed his lips, ran his tongue over his teeth, trying to find nonchalance before he spoke. “You can go,” he said after a moment, “when this is all over. You can leave, it’s not like I won’t know where you are and what you’re doing.”

The Master raised an eyebrow. “Is that your way of making it up to me, invade my mind and then offer me the illusion of freedom?”

The Doctor looked away. Tried to look stern. “It was the only way.”

“The only way that suited you.” The Master walked a little way toward him before changing his mind. 

“That’s not it,” he said. But then he was pulling levers. “Here we go!”

The Master grabbed hold of the nearest immovable object to keep from falling. He felt better since he’d rescued the Doctor. The pain had gone and the link had no need to feed from them anymore. After a decent night’s sleep he’d been fine, physically. But the drums were gone. There was just raging silence in their place and that hurt more than they had. And he could _feel_ the Doctor in their place. All that empathy, the love and guilt, the pleasure of life, fear of being alone, was as much a part of him as the drums had been before. The Doctor had done something so unthinkable in Time Lord custom, that the Master had never dreamt that it was a possibility. He should have known, really, that the Doctor wasn’t going to let all that time in the cell pass without thinking of what he’d do afterwards. He should have been paying attention, not focusing on the present, on the stupid apes, instead of what was happening in his own head. Too much time not thinking about it, he supposed. How many times was he going to let the Doctor win before he learnt? He felt sick with it, he’d tried everything to close the link again. To push out the Doctor and all his baggage, but there was nothing to be done now. It was the final stage of an Entrenchment and the most permanent. 

Guilt and the fear that the Master was going to leave him alone forever, was all over the Doctor. But, of course, it wasn’t as simple as the Master leaving, because he’d still be there. The Doctor would know every time the Master laughed, or felt pleasure, or fell over. Or killed. He was too remorseful to make him stay now but he wouldn’t really be able to leave. He’d barely been able to look at him since they’d left the Hub. The Master had smiled at Ianto, taken his hand and told him to try not to die while he was away. Ianto had just rolled his eyes and wondered back up to the others. The Master hadn’t failed to notice the stab of hurt that the Doctor felt at this intimate and fairly genuine goodbye. He felt a vindictive stab of pleasure at it. 

There was, now, the possibility to use the Doctor’s remorse. He could leave, wreak the type of destruction that only he was capable of and let the guilt slowly overwhelm the Doctor. But no. There was little hope of that. The moment the Doctor realised that he was planning something he’d be swooping down to the rescue. 

“Here we are!” the Doctor cried, trying to sound enthusiastic, but missing by several miles.

“Let’s find me some revenge,” the Master replied grimly, heading out of the doors and not bothering to wait for the Doctor.

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Interventions

 **Pairing:** Simm!Master/Ten!Doctor, Jack/Ianto

 **Author:** Buttercup

 **Contact:** Buttercupgaud@aol.com

 **Rating:** Let’s say R to be safe, but might be PG-13

 **Warnings:** None really. Mild spoiler for ep1 series 2, now.

 **Disclaimer:** I own none of these characters, they belong to Russel T and the beeb.

 **Summary:** The Doctor wakes up with a headache, which quickly becomes everyone at TW’s too. Doctor Who/Torchwood crossover. 

**Thanks:** Thanks to the wonderful Amy for beta reading this and being so encouraging. 

PART ONE   
PART TWO   
PART THREE   
PART FOUR   
PART FIVE   
PART SIX   
PART SEVEN 

 

PART EIGHT 

“Everything alright, Jack?” Gwen asked, closing the door to Jack’s office behind her. 

Jack looked at her and sighed. He didn’t want to have this conversation right now. “Yeah,” he said shortly. “Is everything ready down there?” 

“Yep, all sorted. They don’t seem to have figured out where we are yet, and when they do they’ll have quite a lot to contend with before they get anywhere near the actual Hub. With any luck the Doctor and the Master will be back before then.” 

Jack nodded, not feeling particularly hopeful of this. 

Gwen was still hovering and Jack wondered if there was any way to avoid this conversation. No, probably not, he thought. Only option now was to brace himself for it. “Jack,” she began, in a tone too casual to be anything other than a prelude into asking about something deeply personal. “What’s happened with you and Ianto?” She paused, and tried to explain herself. “Only, one minute you’re all googly eyes and the next…” She trailed off and shrugged. 

Jack leant back in his chair and looked at her for a long moment. “Ianto told me he didn’t want to be with me anymore.” It felt weird saying it aloud like that, and most certainly not good. He frowned. “Googly eyes?” 

Gwen waved her hand dismissively at this last part, as he knew she would. “Why did he do that?” 

Jack took a moment, trying to not sound as bitter as he felt, before he answered. “The Master.” 

“What?” Gwen sat down opposite him. “What happened?” 

Jack considered not telling her, but the thought of having someone actually on his side about this whole mess was too appealing. Gwen cared about him, and getting at least some of this off his chest would be wonderful. So he told her. Everything that had happened since the Master had arrived. He left out anything about their past, only alluding to the fact it wasn’t pretty. 

Gwen looked at him for a long time when he’d finished. “Oh Jack,” she said softly. “You utter prat.” 

Jack blinked a couple of times, waiting for the punch-line of this very inappropriate joke. When Gwen simply sat there shaking her head, he said, “What? Why?” 

“You really believe that Ianto even notices anyone else is alive when you’re around?” She didn’t wait for a reply as she ploughed on. “You never listen to anyone, do you? It never occurred to you that what Ianto was saying was actually the truth?” 

Jack was feeling too much like the rug had been pulled out from under him to say anything, but as it turned out he didn’t need to because Gwen was talking again. “You’re always telling me to live a normal life, but you’re not even going to try and do the same.” 

“That’s not fair,” Jack interjected, feeling that this statement was true not just regarding what Gwen was currently saying, but also the universe generally. “I’ve been trying with Ianto, but he was the one who didn’t want it any more. He can’t just accept who I am now and that what happened in the past is going to stay there and so doesn’t matter.” 

“No,” Gwen said. She was using the same tone of voice he’d heard her use a hundred times, that ‘I’m being very reasonable, why won’t you just agree with me?’ tone that Jack loved when it wasn’t being aimed at him. “The past never stays there, and Ianto is crazy about the you here and now, but that’s not always enough. How can you expect him to trust you when you won’t even tell him what it is that the Master’s done that makes you so loopy around him? You can’t expect a partner to just blindly follow you around. Your subordinates at work, yes. Your boyfriend, no.” 

Jack raised his eyebrow. _Boyfriend._ “I…” He sighed and tried again. “I don’t know. You didn’t see them together.” 

Gwen smiled, seemingly genuinely amused. “I never thought I’d live to see the day,” she said, shaking her head. “Jack Harkness is jealous.” 

“I am not,” Jack said before he realised that he was answering in much too high a pitch and much too quickly. “Damn,” he said. 

“Yep,” Gwen agreed. “I reckon you should go and speak to him. Apologise a little. I find bringing food often helps.” 

Jack wondered for a moment how many times Gwen had had to apologise to Rhys, ask for forgiveness. Feeling suddenly guilty, he said, “Have you spoken to Rhys today?” 

Gwen looked a little surprised by this, but then she smiled. “Yeah, he was going on about seating arrangements, apparently his grandmother’s not talking to his aunt, who isn’t speaking to anyone at all.” 

Jack laughed. “Tricky situation. I’d just stick them all on a table together and wait for the fireworks.” 

“Yes,” she agreed, “which is why you’ve never gone into the wedding planning business.” 

Jack nodded his agreement. 

After she’d finished chuckling, she frowned, as though something had just occurred to her. “How do you know so much about Time Lord physiology, by the way?” 

Jack fought hard with his immediate inclination to dodge this question about his past and forced himself to answer. “I travelled with the Doctor for awhile, and his ship has a ton of information stored on it. So, I took some time to study it. I figured that there probably aren’t too many actual doctors who’d be able to treat a Time Lord, so it’d be useful if I at least knew the basics.” 

Gwen seemed a little surprised. Whether this was down to the forthright answer or the information she’d just learned was hard to tell. 

“Oi!” Owen called, from somewhere below them. “Looks like we’ve got visitors.” 

Gwen was up and heading toward to the door before Owen had finished. 

“Gwen,” Jack said, making her turn back, “thanks.” 

She just waved him off and hurried down to the others. Jack sighed heavily and followed after her. 

***** 

The Doctor had to run to catch up with the Master. He paused when they came across a computer panel. The Doctor reached into his coat, pulling out a sonic screwdriver, which he must have gotten from the TARDIS. He aimed it at the computer and waited for the relevant information to pop up. 

“He’s here,” he said after reading the information, “on the top floor by the looks of it.” 

“What’s between us and him?” the Master asked, grimly. 

“A few computer generated defences that I should be able to turn off from here,” the Doctor replied fiddling with his screwdriver before pointing it back at the screen. 

The Doctor hadn’t said anything that didn’t need to be said since they’d got to the TARDIS. The Master was happy about this. He was almost certainly happy about this. Although, he never much enjoyed being ignored. He sighed heavily. “Hurry up,” he said, “they already know we’re here and if we don’t get a move on they’ll shoot us with one of their many automatic weapons and then we’ll be dead. And not in a cosy, “Torchwood will bring us right back” sort of way, but _dead_.” 

The Doctor looked at him over his shoulder. “I’m trying to configure the shields so that once we’ve got through them they’ll close behind us, trapping the guards out.” 

The Master felt himself smile, despite his not wanting to. “Clever.” 

The Doctor smiled, all teeth and sparkling eyes. The Master looked away. He noticed the Doctor’s smile fade before he turned back to the console. There was a long pause where the Master paced restlessly. He hated being kept waiting. 

Then, from down the corridor came the sound of running footsteps. Many of them. The Doctor turned to him. “Time to get going,” he said and took off at a run down the corridor. The Master, feeling irritated that he’d been left behind, scowled and had no choice but to run after him. The Doctor was waiting next to a control panel. “Waiting for the force-field to drop.” 

The Master was still scowling and now also panting. “I know.” 

The Doctor nodded. There was short buzzing now, and the air before them shimmered for a moment before becoming clear. The Master darted after the Doctor, and turned back just in time to see some armed guards round the corner and come straight for them. He nudged the Doctor, and held out his hand. “Give me the screwdriver,” he demanded. 

The Doctor paused for a long moment. 

“I can’t kill anyone with it,” the Master snapped. “Just hand it over.” 

The Doctor paused again for a moment before reaching into his pocket and slowly handing it over. The guards had, by this time, reached the barrier and were calling for technical assistance. The Master smiled at the lead guard, and gave him a little wave for good measure. Then he was pointing the screwdriver at the console in front of him, trying to find the security over rides. Using his knowledge of the technology he helped to design, he overrode them with ease. Then he set about changing them, upping the voltage of the shock anyone would receive if they tired to run at a force-field, by ten fold. He shrugged. Twenty-fold. Then he turned to the Doctor and gestured for him to carry on their journey to Van Statten. 

They paused at each force-field and every time the Doctor looked at him and smiled. It was infuriating. The Master wasn’t sure what this was meant to be achieving. 

Obviously catching this random thought via the link, the Doctor replied, “Nothing. It’s just there you are. Here _we_ are, like old time.” 

“What old times?” the Master asked, darting through the beams before they started up again. “The times I’ve tried to kill you or the times you actually killed me?” 

The Doctor grinned at him. “Both. But it wasn’t always like that. There were times we worked together.” 

The Master raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t reply. 

“And you’ve got to admit,” the Doctor said at the next force-field, “we were brilliant.” 

“Are,” the Master corrected. He realised he was smiling and stopped. 

Then they were at a door. It was made of metal and looked pretty solid. The Doctor paused for a moment. “I think he’s in there.” 

The Master smiled slowly. He reached out and gently knocked on the door. “Oh, Mr Van Statten,” he called, “time to come out and play.” 

*****   
The alarms were going off, and the lights were flickering. Jack hated it when that happened. It made everything so _creepy_. Tosh was furiously wrestling with the Hub’s internal computers, trying to eke out the power supply to the defences. 

“They must have some sort of computer whiz with them,” she sighed. “They’re pulling down the defences as fast as I can put them up.” 

Owen was holding a gun in his left hand, and was trying to help Tosh with his right. Gwen was with Ianto somewhere in the lower levels checking everything was secure. 

“Jack,” Gwen’s voice came through his earpiece and he felt himself relax a little. 

“I’m here,” he replied. Where he was, was at the weapons locker, going over everything that they had and trying to find something that would be both effective, and wouldn’t destroy most of Cardiff. 

“We’ve checked everything we can think of and we’re going to come back up.” 

“Okay,” Jack replied, pulling out a regular handgun and laying it to one side. He seriously hoped they weren’t about to have an Alamo on their hands. From the little the Hub could read of what was trying to gain access outside, there were many, many well armed humans, and few other things that Tosh wasn’t sure of other than that they were alien. 

Ianto and Gwen appeared next to him. Jack smiled and handed Gwen a gun. “Thanks,” she said, grinning, “it’s just my size.” She wondered off towards Tosh. 

Jack looked at Ianto, who looked back at him. “Did you ever tell the Doctor that you loved him?” Ianto asked suddenly. 

Jack blinked at him for a moment. Ianto was looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. He looked a little uncertain, and perhaps worried although what that meant was beyond Jack. Stalling for time, Jack set about making sure his gun was loaded. When he chanced a look up at Ianto he found him still watching him, obviously not planning on leaving until he got some form of answer. Jack decided to try turning over a new leaf. It was worth at least seeing the other side of one before he gave up on the idea entirely. “No,” he answered. “There wasn’t any point, and he knows anyway. Besides,” he continued, “we weren’t really like that.” 

Ianto frowned and shifted about a little. “Like what?” 

“That,” Jack replied, gesturing vaguely. 

“Like a swirly hand gesture?” Ianto asked. 

Jack rolled his eyes. “There wasn’t anything going on, and there would never have been.” 

“Oh,” Ianto said. He looked down at his own gun, fiddled with it a bit. “So, he wasn’t interested, that’s why you came back?” 

Ianto was… jealous. Jack felt a little like he wanted to laugh, but instead he just sighed. “No, he asked me to travel with him. I wanted to come back. I came back for you. Haven’t we done this once already?” 

Ianto shrugged. Then looked up at him and smiled. “Just figured that we might all be about to die. Well,” he gestured at Jack, “not you, I guess, but the rest of us. Just got me thinking about loose ends.” 

“Oh,” Jack said. He reached forward and took another gun and began loading that, Ianto did the same with a second gun of his own. “What about you? You have any loose ends that you want to tie up?” 

Ianto slowed his actions for a moment and looked at Jack. “I’m not really sure what’s happening between us, right now.” Ianto stopped, half smiled, and corrected himself, “I mean I’m never really sure, but more so at the moment. But, I… well, anyway,” he pointed at Jack, gently pushing his shoulder. “I just thought I should say, I mean, well, I wanted to say really.” Ianto paused, took a deep breath. “Well, anyway, I love you and all that.” He nodded to himself before turning and walking swiftly away towards the others. 

Jack was left blinking at the spot where Ianto had been. He opened his mouth a few times but nothing seemed to be coming out. Completely unsure what had just happened, he walked in a semi-daze over to the rest of the team. He shook his head and tried to rally himself. 

“Okay,” he said, “if they manage to get past Tosh, I want all of you to stay well covered. We can defend the Hub, but none of you are to do anything stupid; remember I can’t be killed and so if there’s any heroics needed, I’ll handle it.” 

Owen shrugged. “You’ll get no complaints from me.” 

“Tosh?” Jack asked. 

“I’ve done all I can,” she said, slumping a little, but only for a moment. “It’ll hold them for awhile, but not forever.” She reached into her desk and drew out a gun. 

“Time for plan B, then,” Ianto said, pulling out a gun. 

“We need to establish a line of defence,” Jack said. “All of you, into my office, that should offer some cover as well as a place to see what’s going on down here.” 

“Where will you be?” Ianto asked, lagging behind the others. 

“Here, someone needs to keep the Hub’s computer’s running, and if they get in, I’ll trigger a lockdown.” 

Ianto raised his eyebrows. “Locked in with all those guns.” 

“I’ll make sure you all get out,” he said seriously. “I promise.” 

Ianto nodded. He looked liked he believed him. Well, at least someone did. _Where was the Doctor?_

**** 

The Doctor made short work of opening the door. As it slid back, it revealed a spacious office with a massive oak desk and high-back chair. Sitting in said chair was a middle-aged man with dark hair and a neat beard. As he looked up and his face contorted with anger, but when he realised who was standing, framed in the door, his face lost all of its colour. There was also someone sitting in a much less grand chair, with their back to them. 

“You,” van Statten said, standing up, his hands resting on the desk in front of him. 

The man with his back to them also stood and turned around. 

“Mr Taylor,” the Master said, feeling a little thrill at the look of sheer terror on both their faces. 

Van Statten’s hand was already at his intercom. 

“I wouldn’t bother with that old thing,” the Doctor said casually. “All your guards are stuck on the lower floors, and besides, I knocked out all internal communications.” 

Van Statten paused, probably unsure whether to believe him or not, but then dropped his hand from the intercom. “What do you want?” he asked. 

“Now,” Mr Taylor broke in, “there’s no call to be taking any demands just yet.” 

The Master’s lip curled into a snarl at this, the cold, calculating tone of this human. Like he could ever hope to control this situation. Control _him_. He walked around the desk, coming to stand somewhere a little behind Mr Taylor and put his head to one side. 

“Was it you, Mr Taylor, that came up with the idea of linking our minds? Of trying to use it to drive us mad?” His voice was soft, gently coaxing the information out of Mr Taylor. 

There was a pause before the answer came. “It was my recommendation based on the studies we were able to perform, that that would be the most effective way of controlling you both.” 

The Master smiled. “And whose idea were the experiments?” 

Mr Taylor shifted a little but held the Master’s gaze. The Doctor was watching them both with a grim expression, taking in all the information before deciding whether or not to act. “They were carried out due to the uncertain nature of your physiology. We had no idea of the complexity of it before we began. There were so many possibilities.” 

Mr Taylor seemed not to notice the way the Doctor tensed behind him, perhaps because the Master was still smiling and radiating calm. An idea was waiting to form in the back of the Master’s head but he didn’t let it. He focused with everything he had on the conversation, knowing that he’d only have maybe a second in which to act. 

“You took us and experimented on us and made changes to our minds _just to see what would happen?”_ the Doctor asked, his eyes flashing dangerously and his whole body radiating power and defiance. 

Mr Taylor was smiling a little, opening his mouth to say something, but the Master was suddenly behind him, taking his head in his hands and twisting. The snapping of bones seemed impossibly loud. Van Statten began to shout something and the Master felt himself smile and waited for the rush of satisfaction. What happened instead was a wave of horror and anguish and anger and _guilt_. These weren’t his emotions, no, no, not his. He pushed them away desperately, searching for his own. Sought out a feeling of triumph, not just over the Doctor but over the fact that he could control life, decide who would live and who would die. The power of it should be coursing through his veins, being pushing forward by the drums, but they were gone. The Doctor was shouting at him, but it was all too late. There was nothing left of him, the Doctor had taken it all. 

***** 

“They’re cutting through the door,” Owen said, leaning back against Jack’s desk, they’d pushed it on its side, using it as make-shift shield, bolstered with filing cabinets. They should be able to hold this position for a while. 

Ianto sighed and looked over the top of their battlements. “Yep,” he agreed, coming back down and sitting next to Gwen. 

“That’s it, then,” Owen replied. “We’re all going to die.” He paused. “Tosh,” he said. 

“Owen?” Tosh was sitting on the other side of Owen, holding a gun and looking worried. 

“Did I ever tell you that I think you’re really hot?” Owen finished in typical ill-timed fashion. 

“No,” Tosh said slowly, her cheeks turning a little red and small smile on her face. “Not that I can remember.” 

“Well you are,” Owen said. “And Gwen?” 

Everyone tensed in fear at what might be said next. 

“Rhys isn’t all that much of a twat.” Owen loaded his gun. 

“Thanks Owen,” Gwen said, smiling despite herself. 

There was a long silence. “What about me?” Ianto said, not feeling hurt, really, but the sound of the door being cut through wasn’t pleasant. 

Owen looked at him. “You make pretty good coffee, you know, compared to the stuff that Jack makes which could melt an oesophagus.” 

“Thanks, Owen,” Ianto said slowly, “that really warms my heart, to know you have such depth of emotion.” 

“You’re welcome,” he said. “Still think you look like a prat wearing a suit to work everyday, though.” 

Ianto sighed. “It’s called style, not that you’d know what that was if it took all your sorry excuses for clothes and burnt them on your lawn.” He grinned. “You were nearly nice for a whole two minutes then, though. You might be growing as a person.” 

“I can’t see it myself,” Gwen said, looking over the barricade before plopping back down. “Not long now.” 

“They’ll have to get through Jack, first,” Tosh said. “That should slow them up.” 

Ianto felt a sudden weight on his chest. Tried not to think about the fact that everything had been so crap between him and Jack for the last couple of days and they might be his last. At least he’d managed to tell him how he felt, even if it had been too late. That was something at least. 

***** 

“Look I’m sorry,” van Statten shouted, backing up against the wall. “I never meant this to go so far. But, you nearly ruined me! I just wanted to make sure that that couldn’t happen again.” 

The Doctor looked at the Master, who was staring down at the body of Mr Taylor. His face was white and his eyes were huge. The Doctor wrenched his eyes away from him with a massive amount of will power. 

“Why do all of this? It seems such an overly complicated scheme,” he asked, the anger gone from his voice. He didn’t have the energy for it any more. The Master’s fear and shock was humming through him and it was awful. 

Van Statten looked half-crazed as he stared at the Doctor, trying to back further away from him, but blocked by the wall. “I just had to hide from you, I knew you wouldn’t let me carry on with my hobby, but…” He got a far-off look. “How can you carry on knowing what’s out there and do nothing about it? I came back in time to before I ever met you, thinking you’d never think to look there. I figured if I just kept a low profile then you’d never know. I managed to start again, use some of the technology from my base and start to buy myself out. Funny,” he said, “because part of what made me so rich before I met you was that I sold off most of my assets, and it was to myself! I knew what was worth having, after all.” 

“You did business with yourself?” It wasn’t quite a shout, but nearly. The Doctor lowered his voice. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You could have created a paradox!” 

Van Statten looked confused. “I was careful, I kept my identity a closely guarded secret. Then I met Torchwood, they offered to represent me, to expand my collection and understanding of the technology I had. I managed to eventually buy them out completely, at which point I found out about their dealings with Harold Saxon, or the Master.” He looked desperate. “It was their idea, they said it would be simple and I would be able to control you and then I’d be able to travel the stars as well as time.” 

The Doctor found, now, after everything, that he wasn’t much interested in van Statten’s plans. Everything had changed so completely since he went to the Hub to visit Jack that he barely remembered what it was like before. He didn't care. But someone had to, and there was no one else. “How did you manage to travel back in the first place?” 

Van Statten, pointed at his desk draw. The Doctor went to it and found a wrist strap, not dissimilar to Jack’s resting in a glass case. He sighed and placed it in his coat pocket. “I can’t let you do anything like this again,” he said. 

Van Statten shook his head wordlessly. 

“I’m sorry,” the Doctor said. He took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the computer sitting on van Statten’s desk and switched it on. 

“What are you doing?” van Statten asked, his voice trying to be angry, but his eyes went to the body on the floor, skimmed over the Master and he fell silent. 

“I’m wiping everything you have in your database,” the Doctor said, his voice firm. He just wanted to get this over with and leave. He really hated this place. “But, first,” he twisted the screwdriver, “I’m donating all your assets and profits to charity.” 

“You can’t!” van Statten cried, coming toward the Doctor. 

The Master moved suddenly, stood in front of van Statten, between him and the Doctor. Whatever it was that van Statten saw in the Master’s eyes made him freeze before shrinking back against the wall. The Doctor swallowed and finished what he was doing. Then he lifted the block on the communications, and turned around. 

“Now, call off the attack on the Hub in Cardiff,” he said slowly. 

Van Statten looked briefly at him, back at the Master and then moved to his desk and picked up the phone. “Stand down, and report back to base,” he said slowly. There was silence while he listened to the reply before hanging up. “What now?" He asked. “What are you going to do with me?” 

The Master tensed and the Doctor felt him get ready to attack him, he reached out and gently laid a hand on the Master’s shoulder. There was a moment of confusion through the link before the Master relaxed again. 

“I’ll take you back to your own time. After that, it’s up to you. But if I ever-” 

Van Statten was nodding and looking terrified. 

“Okay,” the Doctor sighed. “Time to go.” 

**** 

Jack stood a little way back from the door. Tensed and ready for the moment when it would finally give way to the onslaught and open. The blue beam of light was busy making an almost perfect circle in the door. Jack remembered someone telling him once that only the criminally insane were able to draw perfect circles free-hand. This did not bode well for whatever was about to come through the door. Jack pulled out his gun and waited. He thought about Ianto and what he’d told him. It was the last thing he’d expected given the last couple of conversations they’d had. It occurred to him, now, of course, that’d Gwen had been right. This whole mess between him and Ianto was his fault, not the Master’s, at least not all the Master’s. He wasn’t quite willing to let the Master off scot-free. But, no, Ianto had been telling him the truth, but Jack was so used to everything having a double meaning that he’d missed it. 

He hadn’t had the chance to apologise, or to tell Ianto that the feeling was mutual. They were about to have a final stand and he’d let the opportunity go by without saying a word. He adjusted his stance, pointed his gun at the door. Well, there was only one option left. He’d have to save the day. Then he could get the guy. It was simple really. 

Just then the blue beam stopped moving. There was very long pause where nothing at all happened. Jack frowned. Looked over his shoulder at the readouts on Tosh’s computer. Then he smiled. 

“What the bloody hell’s going on?” Owen called. 

Jack laughed. “Looks like the Doctor saved the day,” he called back. “Now that’s what I call good timing,” he said to himself. 

**** 

Ianto was just putting away some of the files that had fallen out of the cabinet as they’d hastily erected their blockade when the Doctor arrived, the Master in tow and looking, if possible even worse than when he’d left. Ianto turned back to the filing, it wasn’t his business. He could hear the Doctor explaining to Jack what had happened, but he couldn’t really find it in him to care. He would be relieved when the Doctor and the Master left and they could just get on with their real jobs. 

The Master was standing behind him. “Come with us,” he said, a smile playing on his lips. 

Ianto turned around. “No,” he said. “Even if I did like being used as some sort of weird foreplay between the two of you, which I don’t, then my place would still be here.” 

“With him?” the Master asked, reaching round Ianto and trying to pull out a case file. 

Ianto took it back, and placed it in the cabinet again. “Yes, with Jack.” 

The Master frowned. He stood there, watching Ianto filing for a long time. “I think the Doctor’s changed me.” 

Ianto nodded. “Love’s like that.” 

The Master glared at him. “What would a stupid ape know of how a Time Lord feels?” 

Ianto laughed. “Sorry,” he said, “but I work with Owen, you’re going to have to do a lot more to insult me than bring up evolution.” 

The Master looked supremely annoyed, and Ianto suspected it wasn’t all that his insult had failed to make an impact. “I killed someone, in van Statten’s office.” 

Ianto nodded, not really sure where this was going. 

“It didn’t feel… _I_ don’t feel right anymore.” The Master was fidgeting, looking uncertain. 

“Love’s like that,” Ianto repeated, and bent down to pick up another fallen folder. 

The Master huffed at him. “I don’t know why I’m even talking to you. You have no hope of understanding me.” 

“Nope,” Ianto agreed happily. “But, you’d hate it if I did, and anyway, that’s what the Doctor’s for. Looks like you’re stuck with each other now.” 

“For now,” the Master agreed. “Come with me.” 

Ianto laughed. “No.” 

“Fine,” the Master said. “It’s not just because it’d hurt the freak and the Doctor, you know.” 

“Sure it is,” Ianto replied. 

The Master huffed again. “You’ll never get an offer like this again, you’ll have to live out your tiny, boring life and never know what’s really out there.” 

“Thank God for that,” Ianto said. “I’ve seen more than enough to know that I don’t want your life. I want my life. My tiny, little life, full work and friends and Jack.” 

The Master smiled ruefully. “How about a kiss, then? To say goodbye?” 

Ianto sighed. “I think not.” 

“Master,” the Doctor called. “It’s time we left these good people to clear up.” 

Ianto frowned at this. Typical. 

“Fine,” the Master agreed, turned to leave, swung back and grabbed Ianto by the head and pulled him into a kiss. 

Ianto didn’t bother struggling, just let it happen and then pulled back gently. The Master winked at him and hurried after the Doctor. 

***** 

“So, goodbye again,” the Doctor said at the door. 

Jack grinned at him. “Goodbye, feel free to drop by whenever you want. But leave the wife at home, huh?” he said gesturing with his head in the direction of the Master. 

The Doctor looked sad, worried and guilty all at once, which was something of a facial miracle. Jack half smiled. “He’ll get over it,” he said. The Doctor looked a little surprised at this offer of comfort. “You only have each other, so… you know.” 

“Not at all,” the Doctor said, but he smiled and pulled Jack into a tight hug. 

Jack sighed and let himself relax into it, he pulled back. “Love you,” he said. 

The Doctor smiled at him. 

“Back. The fuck. Off.” The Master was standing behind him, and his tone was somewhat sarcastic, no doubt a reference to Jack’s reaction at interrupting him and Ianto. 

The Doctor look almost pleased for reasons Jack didn’t imagine bore going into. “Gladly,” he said. “Don’t ever come back,” he said mildly to the Master and walked away, not watching them both leave. 

**** 

Ianto had disappeared into the archives and Jack wondered down to find him. When he did he found him sitting crossed legged on the floor, surrounded by case files. 

“What are you doing?” Jack asked mildly. 

“Cross-referencing old case files by time period and type,” Ianto replied distractedly. He looked up at him. “Want to help?” 

Jack paused at this, several more truthful answering crossing his mind before he said, “Sure.” He sat down next to Ianto and picked up a file at random. 

“So, go on then,” he said after a moment of staring at it with no idea of what to do. 

“Go on then, what?” Ianto asked, taking the file from Jack and placing it on a seemingly random pile next to him. 

“Ask me something about my past.” Ianto looked at him with raised eyebrows. Jack grinned. “Seriously, go on, anything you like. I promise I’ll answer truthfully.” 

“Okay,” Ianto said. Then he smiled brightly at Jack. “What did you have for dinner last night?” 

“What?” Jack asked, looking at Ianto in astonishment. Then he realised. Ianto didn’t want a long explanation for Jack’s entire life. He didn’t need to hear everything. He just wanted to know he wasn’t being shut out. Jack grinned, leaned forward to kiss him. Ianto kissed him back, reaching around him and pulling them together. When they pulled back, Jack realised that he had a ridiculously soppy grin on his face, but he just didn’t care. “Pizza,” he said. “And I love you too, Ianto Jones.” 

Ianto smiled at him, then frowned. “You have no idea how this cross referencing system works do you?” 

***** 

“So,” the Doctor said, swinging his arms back and forth. 

“So,” the Master agreed, his own arms crossed tightly over his chest. 

“I figure that I’ll drop you off in the Naxar system, around the turn of fifth empire of Balgasious. It’s a fantastic period.” He’d landed the TARDIS already but was stalling opening the doors. 

“It’s a thoroughly boring time,” the Master answered. 

“Well, where should I drop you off?” the Doctor asked. He was still having trouble looking at him. 

“You haven’t mentioned anything about the human that I killed,” was all the Master said. 

“There’s nothing to say, it was my fault, I should have realised you’d do something like that and stopped you.” The Doctor wandered over to the console and looked at it idly, not really seeing the readouts. He could feel that the Master was confused, and angry about the fact that he’d been unable to enjoy the kill. He wasn’t really sure what that meant either. “But I’ll be ready next time.” 

“Not if I’m all the way out here and you’re off gallivanting about the universe,” the Master pointed out. 

The Doctor said nothing for a long time, knowing this to be true but not able to think of another way. In the end he said, “I can’t keep you here, not now.” 

The Master sighed heavily. “No,” he agreed. “But it’s not safe for you to let me roam free, either. Imagine what I could do before you managed to stop me.” 

The Doctor frowned at him. Where was this going? He could feel something odd through the link but he wasn’t really sure what it was. 

“I kissed Ianto,” the Master said. 

The Doctor sighed. “I know, I felt it.” 

The Master grinned. “Was it good for you?” 

“No.” The Doctor tried to actually read what the TARDIS had managed to scan. 

“He said that I love you,” the Master said suddenly. 

The Doctor looked up so sharply that he might have given himself whiplash. “Pardon?” 

The Master’s eyes were dancing. “Stupid ape, mistook hate for love.” 

“Yeah,” the Doctor agreed and looked back down again. 

“Still,” the Master said, “since Ianto didn’t want to play with me after all, I figure I’ve got some time to kill.” 

“Hmmm,” the Doctor said. He didn’t want to hear about this. He just wanted the Master to leave. He’d be alright once he was alone again. It was the waiting to be left that was the problem. 

“Perhaps you might show me what’s so ‘fantastic’ about this dump,” the Master said casually. “I hear that they have wonderful pleasure spas, we could go to one.” 

Impossible, beautiful hope began to spring up inside the Doctor. “Master,” he said gently, “are you asking me out on a date?” 

One side of the Master’s mouth curved up into a smile. “I thought I was asking you for sex, actually, Doctor, but however you want to put it.” 

This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be. The Master would never choose to stay with him. It was certainly a trick or some sort of trap. The Master was planning something. This was true, he could feel the desire for vengeance coming from the Master in waves. He was beyond angry about what the Doctor had done. But there was something else there too. The Doctor had been trying not to think about the link, not invade the Master’s privacy any more than he already had, but he could feel it now. The Master was confused, he didn’t know what not feeling happy about killing that man in van Statten’s office had meant. He wanted to find out if it was just the Doctor’s influence, or the lack of the drums, or him. And… he Doctor felt himself begin to smile. He didn’t want to be alone either. 

The Doctor wasn’t really sure what all of that meant. They would never be able to stay together. The Master wasn’t capable of change and neither was he. Although, in the meantime… 

“Maybe I could play tour guide for a little while,” he said slowly. 

The Master smiled wickedly. “I can feel your desperation for me not to leave.” 

“And I can feel your fear about what you might be becoming.” The Doctor faced the Master, head up. There was no need for lies anymore. It felt nice. 

“Ditto,” the Master replied. He laughed. “The dance is still going on, Doctor, it’s just a new song!” 

“Fine by me,” the Doctor, agreed, “just so long as you know who’s leading.” 

“Naturally,” the Master said, reaching to put on his coat and heading for the doors of the TARDIS. “Me,” he said and pulled open the doors and revealed their future. 

The Doctor smiled. 

 

THE END


End file.
